British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived Wednesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The Deputy Governor of Makkah Region, Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, and several other senior officials received Starmer upon his arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport.
Starmer’s visit is part of a three-day trip to the Gulf region to discuss diplomatic efforts to support and uphold the recently-announced ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran.
The deal includes a temporary truce that suspends attacks for two weeks in exchange for the complete, immediate, and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, Iran threatened to block passage through Hormuz over what it called a ceasefire breach by Israel, which has intensified its attacks on Lebanon, claiming it was not included in the agreement.
In light of this, the UK Prime Minister said that there is “a lot of work to do” to make the ceasefire hold and reopen the critical waterway, according to BBC.
“There’s a lot of work to do, as you will appreciate, a lot of work to make sure that that ceasefire becomes permanent and brings about the peace that we all want to see. But also a lot of work to do in relation to the Strait of Hormuz, which has an impact everywhere across the world,” Starmer noted.
The UK Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Stephen Hitchen, said that Starmer’s visit to the Kingdom highlights the deeply-rooted ties between both countries. It also underscores Britain’s support for Saudi Arabia and its positive outlook on the Kingdom’s future and long-term bilateral partnership.
وصول رئيس الوزراء كير ستارمر إلى المملكة العربية السعودية. 🇬🇧🇸🇦#مملكتان_بأصل_ثابت_وثمر_يزيد pic.twitter.com/jbQtJ8GlhD
— Stephen Hitchen FCDO (@SCHitchenFCDO) April 8, 2026
Furthermore, Hitchen said that the visit provides an opportunity to benefit from Saudi Arabia’s wisdom during the ongoing regional crisis.
