Boris Johnson charms the Gulf after 'proxy wars' rebuke

Boris Johnson has called for deeper ties to Gulf nations and said Brexit could lead to free trade deals with them as he sought to move past his earlier criticism of Saudi Arabia.

The Foreign Secretary was speaking during a tour of the Gulf just days after footage showed him accusing Saudi Arabia, a key UK ally, and Iran of "puppeteering" and stoking "proxy wars" across the Middle East.

The comments drew a humiliating rebuke from Number 10, which said they did not reflect the Government's view.

In a speech in Bahrain, Mr Johnson did not directly address the controversy, but said Britain's decision to leave the European Union would open fresh opportunities.

"We'll still be there to stick up for our friends and partners in the Gulf," he said.

"But now for the first time since the 1970s we will additionally be able to do free trade deals and we'll be able to build on the extraordinary commercial relationships that already exist between the UK and the Gulf."

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Mr Johnson did his best to charm the audience in a typically colourful speech, often triggering laughter among the guests and at one point calling London the "eighth Emirate".

In his address at the Manama Dialogue, a security conference, he talked about the UK's historic ties with the region.

"Any crisis in the Gulf is a crisis for Britain from day one. Your security is our security," he said, adding that £3bn will be spent on military commitments in the Gulf over the next 10 years.

"That's deepening a partnership that is stronger than with any other group of nations in the world outside NATO," he said.

Mr Johnson also said he supports the Iran nuclear deal, though he stressed the need to remain "clear-eyed and vigilant."

Speaking on the eve of a visit to Saudi Arabia, he did raise the conflict in Yemen, where Riyadh is supporting the internationally recognised government against Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Mr Johnson said Saudi Arabia is "securing itself from bombardment by the Houthis".

"But I must also share my profound concerns, which I'm sure is universal in this room, about the present suffering of the people of Yemen," he added, saying that "force alone will not bring about a stable Yemen".

Saudi Arabia is the UK weapons industry's largest customer, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in a speech later will accuse the Prime Minister of sacrificing "human rights on the altar of the arms trade".