Will Liz Truss' Britain pivot back to the Gulf?

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss speaks in Parliament, as Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, to the right of her, looks on. AFP

Now that Liz Truss has completed the formation of her government, one of the UK Prime Minister’s first priorities must be to improve relations with the country’s long-standing allies in the Gulf.

While Boris Johnson said he was sympathetic to the concerns of the Gulf states, the reality was that, during his three-year term as prime minister, London showed little interest in the region. Britain’s neglectful attitude was best summed up by the decision to end the long-standing practice of having a dedicated Foreign Office minister to look after the Middle East.

For decades, the British government had a minister of state at the Foreign Office with special responsibilities for maintaining good relations with key Arab states such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Often the holders of this office were politicians of high calibre, such as Alistair Burt, who played a key role in restoring relations with the region during David Cameron’s premiership.

The decision to abolish the post last February as part of an administrative reshuffle suggested that, as long as Mr Johnson was prime minister, his government had other priorities to consider.

His resignation has now provided his successor with an opportunity to revitalise relations.

Ms Truss has already demonstrated that she wants her administration to make a clean break with the Johnson era. Only a handful of those who served in Mr Johnson’s cabinet have been given positions in the new government. Nearly all the advisers and officials who worked at 10 Downing Street are being removed.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, with James Cleverly, then UK's minister for Middle East and North Africa, in Abu Dhabi. Wam

In a clear sign that Ms Truss wants her administration to adopt a more professional approach, her staff has been ordered to dress appropriately, with men required to wear jackets and ties.

An indication of Ms Truss' ruthless approach – as part of a determination to distance herself from the chaos that characterised the Johnson era, and resulted in his unceremonious exit – can be seen in her decision to dismiss Stephen Lovegrove, Britain’s widely respected national security adviser.

Previously responsible for running the Ministry of Defence, Mr Lovegrove has been a key figure in the radical modernisation programme involving the British Armed Forces. He is also credited with persuading Mr Johnson to provide military support to Ukraine, including the deadly NLAW anti-tank weapons that played a crucial role in thwarting Russian attempts to capture Kyiv at the start of the conflict.

Mr Lovegrove is to be replaced by Tim Barrow, a former British ambassador to Moscow who was involved in the Brexit negotiations and is understood to have formed a close partnership with Ms Truss during her stint as foreign secretary. His appointment is very much in keeping with Ms Truss’s desire to appoint trusted associates to key positions in her government.

It is a policy that has resulted in James Cleverly, who worked with her as a junior minister at the Foreign Office, becoming the country’s new Foreign Secretary. Mr Cleverly, 53, was a staunch supporter of Ms Truss’ leadership challenge in the governing Conservative party right from the beginning of a gruelling six-week campaign.

His appointment, moreover, suggests that Ms Truss is keen to rebuild relations with Britain’s Gulf allies, with Mr Cleverly well-known in the region from his period as Middle East minister from February 2020 until it was abolished last year. During this spell, he developed close ties with the leadership in each of the six GCC member states.

He also demonstrated that he wasn't afraid to make difficult decisions regarding regional security issues. He was heavily criticised after announcing significant reductions to Britain’s foreign aid contributions to Yemen, a decision Mr Cleverly said had to be made because of the financial burden placed on London by the pandemic. He also resisted calls for the UK to stop selling arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting to restore Yemen’s democratically elected government.

New Conservative Party leader and Britain's Prime Minister-elect Liz Truss delivers a speech after being announced the winner of the Tory Party leadership contest in central London on September 5, 2022. Ms Truss is the UK's third female prime minister following Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher. AFP

Liz Truss during a hustings event in Darlington in August 2022. Ms Truss and Rishi Sunak are awaiting the results of a poll of Conservative Party members deciding which of them has been selected as the new party leader, and next prime minister. PA

Liz Truss playing pool during a visit to the Onside Future Youth Zone in London in August 2022. PA

Boris Johnson and Ms Truss arriving for an extraordinary summit at Nato headquarters in Brussels, in March 2022. AFP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ms Truss arrive for talks in Moscow in February 2022. AP

Ms Truss in Red Square during a visit to Moscow in February 2022. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street

Ms Truss meeting European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic (not seen) for talks in central London on the Northern Ireland Protocol on 11th February 2022. PA

Ms Truss with Marise Payne, the Australian minister of foreign affairs, at Government House in Sydney, Australia, in January 2022. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street

Liz Truss hosts Vice President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic at Chevening House in January 2022 to discuss the Northern Ireland protocol. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street

Ms Truss visits British troops in Estonia as they operate alongside other Nato troops in Tapa in November 2021. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street

Liz Truss walks through the old town in Tallinn, Estonia, in November 2021. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street

Ms Truss greeting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, in November 2021. PA

Ms Truss at the Red Fort in New Delhi during a trip to India in October 2021. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street

The British foreign secretary on the Plaza de la Constitucion in Mexico City, during a trip to Mexico in September 2021. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street

Queen Elizabeth II greeting Ms Truss at a reception for international business and investment leaders at Windsor Castle in October 2021. PA

Liz Truss with Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, in New York, in September 2021. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street

Ms Truss on a morning jog over Brooklyn Bridge in New York in September 2021. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street

Former Chancellor Philip Hammond, centre, holding his red ministerial box outside 11, Downing Street, flanked by Treasury colleagues Ms Truss and Mel Stride in October 2018. PA

Ms Truss, then secretary of state for justice, being escorted around HMP Brixton by prison governor David Bamford in November 2016. PA

Ms Truss as she became the first woman ever to hold the role of Lord Chancellor, arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice before being installed in July 2016. PA

In April 2016, the former environment secretary Liz Truss listening to former chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne (not seen) during his speech at the National Composites Centre in Bristol. PA

When she was environment minister, Ms Truss visited the bridge over the River Wharfe in Tadcaster, which collapsed after heavy flooding in December 2015. Getty Images

Addressing the Conservative party conference in Birmingham in 2014 when she was secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs. Getty Images

Mr Truss on the Sawnnington Farm to Fork stand at the Norfolk Food Festival at the Houses Of Parliament in October 2011. PA

Conservative Parliamentary candidate for South-West Norfolk Elizabeth Truss, while canvassing in the village of West Walton during the 2010 General Election campaign. PA

The former Conservative Shadow Home Secretary, Dominic Grieve, centre, speaking at the launch Reform's Lawful Society report on the nature of crime and the incentives in the criminal justice system while Ms Truss looks on, in September 2008. PA

Former Conservative Leader William Hague meeting conservative candidate for Calder valley Ms Truss, during the General Election Campaign for 2005. PA

In addition, he was directly involved in efforts to revive the controversial 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. He met Iranian officials in November 2021 to discuss the terms of a new deal and attempted to negotiate the release of British-Iranian nationals Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Anoosheh Ashoori and Morad Tahbaz. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Mr Ashoori have since been released and returned to the UK, while Tahbaz was released from prison on temporary furlough in July.

With negotiations over a new nuclear deal said to be entering a critical phase, Mr Cleverly will probably call for London to adopt a hawkish approach, an attitude that will help to reassure the Gulf states that their concerns regarding Tehran's destabilising behaviour in the region are not being ignored.

Mr Cleverly’s appointment has also raised hopes that the new government will reinstate the position of a dedicated Middle East minister. Two new ministers of state have now been appointed at the Foreign Office. Leo Docherty is a former Scots Guards officer who has good knowledge of the Gulf region. Jesse Norman is an Old Etonian who has previously worked at the Treasury.

The formation of this powerful new ministerial team certainly suggests that, under Ms Truss’s leadership, Britain will be showing a greater willingness to safeguard the interests of its Arab allies.