Lords to publish report on UK Middle East Policy

Ahead of the report's launch the Committee will hold an embargoed briefing for journalists at 11:30am on Friday 28 April in the River Room of the House of Lords. Embargoed copies of the report will be available in the room from 11:00am and Committee members, including Chairman Lord Howell, will present the report and be available to take questions.

To register to attend the briefing please email lordspressoffice@parliament.uk

The report deals with a number of key themes around the fluid situation in the Middle East and the changes to UK policy in the region that this will require.

Issues the Committee explored during the inquiry include:

• the response of the UK to the Arab spring and the war in Syria;
  
• President Trump and the new US Administration's position on the Middle East;
  
• trade and UK Arms exports to the region including to Saudi Arabia and concerns about the use of UK produced weapons in the conflict in the Yemen;
  
• the impact on the UK's credibility in the region of the decision in 2013 not to take part in airstrikes in Syria;
  
• the impact of Brexit on the UK's influence in the region;
  
• the effect of demographics and technological change in the Middle East including the very young populations in the region and their access to social media and other sources of information outside of state controls.

The report and briefing will be embargoed until 00:01 on Tuesday 2 May.