Will chancellor secure trade deal at Davos in the Desert?

In her unofficial role of head of sales for UK plc, chancellor Rachel Reeves is in the Gulf states drumming up some business and investment.

- SEAN O'GRADY

Her visit centres on Saudi Arabia, the regional superpower; Britain has much to gain from a closer relationship with the Saudis and other states in the region. But there are complications...

What is Reeves up to?

She’s going to speak at the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh, followed by the Future Investment Initiative - the so-called “Davos in the Desert”. She’ll be making the case for investing in the UK, backed by a high-powered delegation including Barclays chief executive CS Venkatakrishnan, GSK chair Sir Jonathan Symonds, HSBC chief executive Georges Elhedery, and London Stock Exchange chief executive Julia Hoggett.

Informally, they'll all be exploring opportunities to attract inward deals, while Ms Reeves will be pushing the cause of a breakthrough free trade deal between Britain and the Gulf Cooperation Council, the regional economic club that comprises the Saudis plus Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In the meantime she’ll be announcing some fresh investment.