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UK pulls out of £5.9m Saudi jail deal UK pulls out of £5.9m Saudi jail deal
(35 minutes later)
The UK government has withdrawn from a controversial £5.9m prisons deal with Saudi Arabia, Downing Street has said.The UK government has withdrawn from a controversial £5.9m prisons deal with Saudi Arabia, Downing Street has said.
The PM's official spokeswoman said it reflected the government's decision to focus on domestic priorities.The PM's official spokeswoman said it reflected the government's decision to focus on domestic priorities.
The Ministry of Justice had established it could withdraw from the bid process with no financial penalties, she said.The Ministry of Justice had established it could withdraw from the bid process with no financial penalties, she said.
It comes as Britain seeks the release of UK pensioner Karl Andree, who is facing 360 lashes after being caught with homemade wine in Saudi Arabia. No 10 stressed pulling out of the prisons' deal was unconnected to the case of expat Karl Andree, jailed after being caught with wine in Saudi Arabia.
The 74-year-old, who has lived in the Middle East for 25 years, has already spent more than a year in prison since being arrested by Saudi religious police. It was thought 74-year-old Mr Andree, who has been in jail for more than a year, was facing 360 lashes but the BBC now understands a flogging was never on the cards.
Downing Street said Prime Minister David Cameron was personally intervening in the "extremely concerning" case of Mr Andree, by writing to the Saudi government. Despite withdrawing from the prison deal, which was to provide a "training needs analysis" for Saudi prison service staff, Justice Secretary Michael Gove insisted Britain would maintain its relationship with the country.
But Number 10 stressed this was a separate issue from the prisons deal, which was to provide a "training needs analysis" for Saudi prison service staff.
Justice Secretary Michael Gove insisted Britain would maintain its relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Answering an urgent question in the Commons, Mr Gove said: "There is security co-operation between Britain and Saudi Arabia that has, as the prime minister and others have pointed out, saved British lives in the past.Answering an urgent question in the Commons, Mr Gove said: "There is security co-operation between Britain and Saudi Arabia that has, as the prime minister and others have pointed out, saved British lives in the past.
"And while we would never compromise on our commitment to human rights, we must also recognise that it's in the interests of the most important human right of all, the right to live in safety and security, that we should continue with necessary security co-operation with the Saudi government and with other governments.""And while we would never compromise on our commitment to human rights, we must also recognise that it's in the interests of the most important human right of all, the right to live in safety and security, that we should continue with necessary security co-operation with the Saudi government and with other governments."
'Shamed''Shamed'
The withdrawal follows reports of a cabinet rift on the issue, with Mr Gove said to have angered Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond by seeking to pull the plug.The withdrawal follows reports of a cabinet rift on the issue, with Mr Gove said to have angered Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond by seeking to pull the plug.
The Times says the justice secretary wanted to pull out of the deal, saying the government should not be assisting a regime that uses beheadings, stoning, crucifixions and lashings to punish its citizens.The Times says the justice secretary wanted to pull out of the deal, saying the government should not be assisting a regime that uses beheadings, stoning, crucifixions and lashings to punish its citizens.
But Mr Hammond warned that cancelling it would not be in the national interest as it would make Britain appear an untrustworthy ally, the paper reports. But Mr Hammond warned that cancelling it would not be in the national interest as it would make Britain appear an untrustworthy ally - and No 10 had sided with him, the paper reports.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who used his recent conference speech to call for the deal to be scrapped, said the government had been "shamed" into the move.Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who used his recent conference speech to call for the deal to be scrapped, said the government had been "shamed" into the move.
He said: "David Cameron has been shamed into a U-turn on this terrible contract, but why on earth was it set up in the first place?He said: "David Cameron has been shamed into a U-turn on this terrible contract, but why on earth was it set up in the first place?
"We should be sending a strong message to repressive regimes that the UK is a beacon for human rights and that this contract bid is unacceptable in the 21st Century, and would damage Britain's standing in the world.""We should be sending a strong message to repressive regimes that the UK is a beacon for human rights and that this contract bid is unacceptable in the 21st Century, and would damage Britain's standing in the world."
Kate Higham, from human rights organisation Reprieve, said cancelling the bid had "sent a clear message that the UK does not support Saudi Arabia's gross violations of human rights".
Mr Gove, who was appointed justice secretary in a post-general election reshuffle in May, closed down the Ministry of Justice's controversial commercial arm, which had been criticised for selling prison expertise to countries with poor human rights records.Mr Gove, who was appointed justice secretary in a post-general election reshuffle in May, closed down the Ministry of Justice's controversial commercial arm, which had been criticised for selling prison expertise to countries with poor human rights records.
Just Solutions international (JSi) was established under his predecessor Chris Grayling in 2013.Just Solutions international (JSi) was established under his predecessor Chris Grayling in 2013.
The MoJ had previously insisted that JSi's work was focused on trying to improve human rights standards in the countries' jails through training and prison design, and complied with British human rights standards. The MoJ had previously insisted that JSi's work was focused on trying to improve human rights standards in the countries' jails through training and prison design.
'Media spotlight'
In the case of Mr Andree, Downing Street said Mr Cameron was personally intervening by writing to the Saudi government.
Mr Andree, who has lived in the Middle East for 25 years, was arrested in 2014 after being caught with homemade wine by Saudi religious police.
However, BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said both Saudi and UK government officials have told him there was never any question of Mr Andree being flogged.
"The Saudis privately gave the Foreign Office assurances he was not going to be flogged, but delays in Saudi bureaucracy meant that his release papers have been held up before they reached the prison and the family grew increasingly worried," he said.
"The media spotlight now means that his release will either be speeded up or possibly, out of pique, get put back further."