May defies strict Saudi dress code by shunning headscarf
THE Prime Minister took a stand against Saudi Arabia’s repressive regime yesterday by refusing to wear a headscarf on her visit to the desert kingdom.
Theresa May followed in the footsteps of former first lady Michelle Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel by defying the ultra- conservative regime’s Islamic dress code.
In doing so she also breached Foreign Office advice, which warns British women in the kingdom to wear a headscarf in public.
Downing Street said Mrs May had
‘Everything we do is in national interest’
made a ‘personal choice’. A source in the travelling party said the move was intended as a ‘statement’ by Mrs May, who has said she wants to encourage the Saudi regime to allow women more freedom.
Her decision marks a break with convention – in a 1985 Saudi visit, Margaret Thatcher wore a hat, gloves and a dress that covered her feet. And royal visitors, such as the Duchess of Cornwall in 2013, have also abided by the dress code.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Mrs May had said she hoped to inspire oppressed women in countries such as Saudi Arabia, where they cannot drive or travel without the permission of a male ‘guardian’. The For- eign Office advises: ‘Islamic codes of behaviour and dress are strictly enforced. Women should wear conservative, loose-fitting clothes as well as a full length cloak (abaya) and a headscarf.’
Mrs May will discuss improving women’s issues today during talks with Saudi Princess Reema, who last year became the first woman to be appointed to a government role when she was made vice-president for women’s affairs in the country’s governing sports body. But her talks yesterday focused on trade and security.
Ministers are trying to persuade the wealthy Gulf kingdom to list the state oil company on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) when it is privatised. Yesterday, she visited the Riyadh stock exchange with LSE boss Xavier Rolet.
The PM is also keen to boost business links with the kingdom, which is the UK’s biggest Middle Eastern trade partner. She has been criticised from human-rights campaigners and Labour over arms sales to Saudi Arabia at a time when the country is accused of war crimes over bombing in Yemen.
Yesterday, Mrs May insisted she would raise ‘difficult’ issues with the Saudis. The Prime Minister told the BBC: ‘ The May doctrine of foreign policy is that everything we do is in our British national interest.
‘It is in our British national interest to have good relations around the world so we can trade around the world.
‘That brings jobs and prosperity to the UK.
‘It’s also in our national inter- est to ensure that we are working with others around the world to maintain our safety and security.
‘And, yes it is in our national interest to ensure that the values that underpin us as Britons are values that we promote around the world and that’s what we do.’
She also held talks with officials on the threat of radicalisation and foreign fighters returning from Syria, although Westminster attacker Khalid Masood, who spent several years living in Saudi Arabia, was not mentioned. Asked if the UK was selling its principles cheaply for the sake of trade and arms deals, she replied: ‘No we are not doing that. What we are doing is continuing the links that we have had for a long time with countries that are important to us around the world.’