Council defends push for Saudi investment

NEWCASTLE City Council has defended seeking investment from Saudi Arabia, after accusations that its reputation is being “dragged through the mud” because of con-nections to the Middle East nation.

- By DANIEL HOLLAND Local democracy reporter

The city’s links to the Gulf state have become a major talking point since Newcastle United’s takeover in 2021 by a consortium led by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), with human rights campaigners alleging that the kingdom is using the football club to “sportswash” its international image.

Those concerns have been highlighted recently by the Magpies’ historic Carabao Cup win, particularly with club chairman and PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan pictured holding the trophy aloft at Wembley alongside the NUFC players.

Supporters opposing the PIF’s involvement at St James’ Park have branded the cup triumph a “tainted victory", highlighting cases like that of Manahel al-Otaibi - the Saudi fitness instructor serving an 11-year prison sentence for promoting women’s rights and posting photos of herself on social media without wearing traditional clothing. Council chief executive Pam Smith was part of a UK delegation to Riyadh last May, for a trade and investment summit where Newcastle was pitched as the “gateway to Saudi”.

In an interview with the the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) last week, she argued that not pursuing such investment opportunities on human rights grounds would be “narrowing what you can do for residents” on Tyneside at a time when the council is trying to drive a cultural and economic boom. Mrs Smith said: “You are doing these things to make Newcastle where it should be. It should be recognised as a global city where everyone can thrive.