Wealthy Arabs love Mayfair for its flash restaurants and beautiful boutiques, but when Saudi dignitaries swept into a discreet address off Park Lane last week, it was not designer clothes or haute cuisine they were after, writes Isabel Oakeshott.
Led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s education minister, the delegation had come to talk about our famous schools and universities – and explore opportunities for exporting the best of British education to Riyadh and beyond.
Oh, the irony! Just as Labour limbers up to unleash a devastating ideological assault on private schools with a tax policy that threatens to drive some out of existence, one of the richest and most ambitious countries on the planet is eyeing them up.
During their stay in London, the Saudi delegation met UK government officials, representatives from schools and universities, and British businesses. They were all eager to feature in Mohammed bin Salman al Saud’s multibillion dollar programme to transform his kingdom from a hard-line Islamic regime that used to condone the stoning of women for adultery into an AI superpower with a tech industry that will make Silicon Valley look dated.
Whether Saudi ministers found time in their packed schedule to talk to anyone from the Labour Party is doubtful, which may be just as well.
Isabel Oakeshott: Starmer has chosen the worst possible moment to attack our elite schools
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
