Boris Johnson has said “things are changing” in Saudi Arabia, despite three people being executed in the country during his visit.
The prime minister met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday in an attempt to persuade the Gulf state to increase oil production.
Johnson has said the West must wean itself off Russian energy in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
But his decision to forge closer ties with Saudi Arabia has drawn sharp criticism given the country’s human rights record.
On Saturday 81 people were executed there in one day. It was the largest mass execution in the kingdom in modern history.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency said three more people were executed while Johnson was there.
Speaking to broadcasters, Johnson said he would “always raise human rights issues” with Saudi Arabia.
But he said it was best that the specifics of what he may have said to the crown prince be “kept private” as that was “more effective”.
“I think you can also see that in spite of that news you’ve referred to today, things are changing in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“We want to see them continue to change. And that’s why we see value in engaging with Saudi Arabia and why we see value in the partnership.”
Mohammed bin Salman has also been accused by the United States of approving the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, something the crown prince has denied.
Asked if any agreement on fuel supplies had been agreed, Johnson would only say there was an “understanding” from Saudi Arabia there was an “interest” in “making sure the global economy is not damaged”.
But pressed specifically on whether oil supplies would be increased, he said: “You’d need to speak to the Saudis.”
It comes as people in the UK face soaring energy costs which will hit people hard in their pockets.
Earlier, Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, accused Johnson of going “cap in hand from one dictator to another” by asking Saudi Arabia to produce more oil.
“The government benches have a choice – they can accept Labour’s plan to save working families hundreds of pounds on bills funded by a one-off levy on the soaring profits of energy companies.
Addressing Dominic Raab, she added: “So I ask the deputy prime minister – is their only plan to keep on begging?”
