As the UK draws closer to finalizing a Free Trade Agreement with Gulf countries, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is visiting Saudi Arabia to boost domestic investment. Without concrete rights protections, the new British government risks furthering abuses rooted in Britain’s colonial past.

Widespread labor violations against migrant workers are effectively state policy in Gulf countries, where migrant labor is entrenched in local economies. A trade agreement with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states risks contributing to abuses against migrant workers, by further facilitating wage abuse, employer exploitation, and situations that amount to forced labor.

The UK should insist that a free trade agreement with Gulf countries includes concrete labor and other rights improvements, particularly for migrant workers.

During its colonial past, Britain held significant influence over a number of Gulf countries. The kafala (labor sponsorship) system, prevalent across the Gulf, was largely a British creation during the protectorate period…

Human Rights Watch recently released a report detailing how Saudi Arabia’s migrant workers – subject to the kafala system – face widespread abuses…

During his visit, Starmer will likely seek investment from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, a near trillion-dollar Saudi state investment vehicle effectively controlled by one person: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman…