I started my tenure as the British ambassador to the UAE in the year of Cop28, infected by typical Emirati optimism. It was a tremendous honour to be involved in the visit of King Charles III, for so long a leading voice on environmental issues. The UAE Consensus, agreed at Cop28, marked a high point in international commitments to address climate change.
I end my time here in the midst of a regional conflict with global implications. What a contrast (though the UAE optimism remains!). Both challenges reveal an interconnected world that shares resources, and requires the example and leadership that outward-facing, internationally engaged countries such as the UAE and UK offer.
As at Cop28, we are more effective when we act together. For that reason, I am very pleased that last month we had the visits of Prime Minister Keir Starmer to meet President Sheikh Mohamed, followed by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. These are top-level illustrations of the personal connectivity that is at the core of a strong relationship.
During her visit, Ms Cooper and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, agreed a new UK-UAE Framework for Co-operation across an agenda of activity including foreign policy, defence, trade and investment, AI, energy and judicial co-operation; all anchored in people-to-people links.
Recent weeks have demonstrated this co-operation. The UK has stood firmly by our Emirati friends, sending RAF Typhoon aircraft to help tackle the unprecedented Iranian aggression. They are working in support of the outstanding UAE military that has protected all those in the country, including hundreds of thousands of British nationals. In the face of this threat from Iran, we are working closely in international forums such as the International Maritime Organisation and at the UN to uphold maritime law in the Strait of Hormuz, protecting the principle of freedom of navigation for vital trade routes around the world.
This bedrock of our partnership lies with our thriving economic relationship. Even amid geopolitical tremors, it has flourished.
The UAE is the UK’s most important trading partner in the wider region. Last year, our bilateral trade surged to a remarkable £25 billion (Dh125 billion). The UK is also the largest source of foreign investment stock in the UAE, according to the UAE’s own Ministry of Investment. More than 5,000 British businesses have planted their roots here, showing long-term commitment, while over 14,000 UK enterprises actively export their goods and services to the UAE.
Investment flows into the UK as well. The UAE-UK Sovereign Investment Partnership has channelled billions from Emirati sovereign wealth funds into critical UK sectors such as technology, life sciences and energy. On the latter, Masdar and Taqa are key players in the UK’s ambitious energy transition – linking back to that shared vision at Cop28 in Dubai and Cop26 in Glasgow.
DP World is creating a huge port and logistics centre at the London Gateway at the mouth of the Thames with £5 billion of investment. Emirates and Etihad move thousands of tourists and businesspeople and tonnes of air freight between our countries every day, flying on engines and wings made in the UK.
The UAE’s financial and professional services sectors owe much to the UK model, with financial centres DIFC and ADGM using English common law. They also provide reach to UK firms, helping them support clients in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
British universities and schools educate a large proportion of young people in the UAE and seek to attract them to continue their studies in the world-leading education system in the UK. The education, research and services sectors, alongside new technology that they develop and exploit are the engines that will both power and connect the UK and the UAE’s economies over the next decades.
Open and trading economies are important to sustain global growth, but they can also be exploited by bad actors, which is why vigilance is necessary to avoid abuse. Judicial co-operation and work to tackle illicit finance have significantly strengthened between our countries over the past year, with a growing partnership between British and Emirati regulators and law enforcement agencies, exchanging vital intelligence, closing financial loopholes and dismantling cross-border criminal networks. By acting together, we are protecting the integrity of the global financial system.
Looking ahead, I am confident of the resilience and future growth of our relationship. The British business community is here to stay, working alongside their Emirati partners.
The UAE continues to offer top-class infrastructure – from logistics to soft infrastructure such as regulation and education (at times with a British influence), access to global talent, and proximity to the world’s fastest-growing economies and markets. The history and friendship we share matters, but the future that we all aspire to is more important and will keep us focused on taking our partnership to new levels.
I am very grateful to have had a chance to return to the UAE to support this. I can’t believe that like so many of my fellow Brits I won’t be back soon. In the meantime, I hope to see Emirati friends enjoying the British spring over Eid.
