Britain Just Shook Hands With Six Repressive Regimes for a Trade Deal — And All It Got Was Cheese Tariffs

UK agrees trade deal with six Gulf states and the government is celebrating like it just won the lottery. But scratch the surface and the whole thing stinks of desperation dressed up as diplomacy.

The deal covers Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Together they form the Gulf Co-operation Council. Britain says the agreement will be worth £3.7 billion to the economy and remove around £580 million a year in tariffs on British exports. Cheddar cheese. Butter. Chocolate. These are the products the government is boasting about. Dairy and sweets. That is what billions in trade value actually means on the ground.

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Sir Keir Starmer called it a huge win for British workers. Business Secretary Peter Kyle said it sends a clear signal of confidence. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said it proves Britain is backing its firms to compete globally. The ICC called it excellent news. Everyone in a suit is smiling.

The Trade Justice Movement is not smiling. They point out that the Gulf states have appalling records on press freedom. They use the death penalty. They are massive producers of greenhouse gas emissions because their economies run on oil. The deal locks Britain into deeper commercial ties with some of the most repressive governments on earth. The economic gains are so marginal they barely register. That is their phrase. Not spin. Not opinion. Their analysis.

The Conservatives started these negotiations when they were in power. They called it another major Brexit opportunity. Labour finished it. Both parties want credit. Nobody wants to talk about who exactly Britain is climbing into bed with.

Tariffs will drop on butter. British firms will find it easier to expand in the Gulf. Jobs will be supported. Those are real things. But so are the execution chambers in Saudi Arabia. So is the forced labor in Qatar. So is the silence demanded of journalists in the UAE. Britain just shook hands with all of it and called it a win.