Boris Johnson emphasises ‘candour’ in UK-Saudi relations

UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson has stressed his government’s close relations to Saudi Arabia during a visit to Riyadh, as both countries tried to blame the media for a row that erupted over his comments suggesting the Saudis backed regional “proxy wars”.

“I’m here to emphasise the friendship that exists between the UK and Saudi Arabia, and that is something that is developing and expanding,” Johnson said at a joint press conference with Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir.

“And it’s also fair to say that we believe in candour in our relationship. Now is the time for us to talk about the positive things that we are doing together.”

Jubeir tried to play down the controversy, blaming the press for confecting the row.

“I have no doubt that his comments as reported in the press were misconstrued,” he said. “If you look at the actual video of what was said, it was not as implied in the press. We are not receiving any mixed messages from Britain.”

Last week, the Guardian published footage of a meeting in Rome in which Johnson had said that Saudi Arabia and Iran were involved in “proxy wars being fought the whole time” in the Middle East.

However, Downing Street later pledged to strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia, including supporting its efforts to help the “legitimate’ government of Yemen.

“These are the prime minister’s views – the foreign secretary’s views are not the government’s position on, for example, Saudi Arabia and its role in the region.”

Defence secretary Michael Fallon also accused the media of misreporting the events.

“The media, with great respect, are starting to over-textualise every remark that Mr Johnson makes,” he said on BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show. “Downing Street was asked whether this misreporting of what Boris had said, whether that was government policy. Downing Street simply answered the question.

“Boris’ comment, as we have already established, was taken out of context in the reporting that implied we didn’t support Saudi Arabia.”

However, Labour’s shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said: “In over 20 years in Parliament, I’ve never heard a foreign secretary slapped down the way Theresa May slapped down Boris”.

She added that Johnson had been “right” in his reported comments, and that Saudi Arabia had been involved in “proxy wars” and “human rights abuses”.