A crime that must affect our dealings with Saudis

MUSTAFA al-Madani, one of the 15-man hit squad believed to be involved in the death of Jamal Khashoggi, was caught on surveillance cameras on the day the journalist disappeared in Istanbul. He was wearing the dead man’s blazer and grey shirt, with fake beard and glasses.

Saudi Arabia now admits that the “murder” was a “tremendous mistake” and the result of a “brawl and a fist fight” though there are also gruesome claims that a body part was smuggled out of the country. It has blamed the killing on a “rogue operation”. Meanwhile, King Salman and the crown prince both telephoned Mr Khashoggi’s son, Salah, on Sunday to express their condolences.

This terrible crime is an embarrassment to a country that has tried to persuade the rest of the world that it was modernising and liberalising. Allowing women to drive was taken as evidence of this, though the women activists who led the campaign languish in prison. It is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore Saudi Arabia’s disregard for human rights. But so far our Government appears to be saying as little as possible. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s promise that we “will treat the incident seriously” because “friendships depend on shared values” is hardly taking a firm line.

And why do we want a friendship with Saudi Arabia anyway? Because of arms sales and their oil. But the charge sheet against Saudi Arabia is growing longer by the day. It may be time for morality to trump commercial interests.