£1billion investment into Teesside expected as Boris Johnson visits Saudi Arabia

Ahead of the visits to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister said it was necessary to strengthen ties with the nations to tackle Russian President Vladimir Putin following his invasion of Ukraine.

This comes in spite of heavy criticism of the country’s own record on human rights. As part of the events schedule today, it is expected that Saudi Arabian alfanar group will confirm a new £1bn investment in the Lighthouse Green Fuels Project in Teesside, which hopes to produce sustainable aviation fuel from waste at a large scale.

The money, it is hoped, could support 700 jobs in the construction of the site from next year, and a further 240 when the system is full operational.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen welcomed the injection of cash, and said: “Alfanar’s commitment to the region and its workers is fantastic to see, with hundreds of high-quality, well-paid jobs set to come for people right across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool as it plays its part in helping us become a clean energy powerhouse.”

Mr Johnson will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh days after the largest mass execution in the kingdom in modern history.

He will visit the UAE’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi earlier in the day, as both rulers’ records on human rights come under renewed scrutiny.

Battling the cost-of-living crisis being compounded by the West weaning itself off Russia’s oil and gas, the Prime Minister is seeking to boost Gulf oil production to alleviate soaring prices, but critics have questioned the choice to strengthen ties. Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Johnson said: “The UK is building an international coalition to deal with the new reality we face.

"The world must wean itself off Russian hydrocarbons and starve Putin’s addiction to oil and gas.”