Saudi officials suspected of being part of the plot to murder journalist Jamal Khashoggi will be banned from Britain, Theresa May announced today.
The Prime Minister also revealed that she was due to speak to King Salman today to discuss the killing by a 15-man hit squad in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Several officials in the team sent from Riyadh to assassinate Mr Khashoggi are close aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Mrs May bluntly dismissed Saudi claims that Mr Khashoggi died after getting involved in a brawl during a failed attempt to kidnap him back to the kingdom.
“The claim that has been made that Mr Khashoggi died in a fight does not amount to a credible explanation so there does remain an urgent need to establish exactly what has happened,” she told MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions.
“The Home Secretary is taking action against all suspects to prevent them entering the UK and if these individuals currently have visas those visas will be revoked today.”
Britain condemned the killing in the “strongest possible terms”, she added, and Saudi Arabia must coperate with Turkey and conduct a full and credible explanation.
However, SNP leader Ian Blackford called on the Government to ban arm sales to the kingdom which he stressed was “responsible for multiple human rights violations”.
He added: “Critics face death by crucifixion, teenagers tortured, women imprisoned for campaigning for their human rights, the brutal bombardment of Yemen, pushing that country to the brink of famine, and now the satte-sponsored murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
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“What more evidence of criminality does the Prime Minister need before she fully commits to ending the sale of arms to the brutal regime of Saudi Arabia?”
Mrs May stressed the UK was concerned about the humanitarian situation in Yemen but that the Government supported the Saudi-led intervention which had been recognised by the UN Security Council.
She emphasised that the UK had some of the “strictest” rules on arms export in the world and that while shipments to Saudi Arabia had been found last year to be compliant this would be kept under review.