Cameron as Foreign Secretary a win for the UAE, says tortured British academic
Lord Cameron’s appointment as Foreign Secretary is a win for the United Arab Emirates and its influence in Britain, a British academic who was tortured in the country has said.
Matthew Hedges, who was imprisoned for six months there, said the UK would “absolutely” enjoy warmer relations with the Emiratis during Lord Cameron’s tenure.
“It’s a win for the UAE and its influence in the UK,” he told The Telegraph. “He’s been working for them, he has those strong ties.”
Mr Hedges was falsely accused of spying for MI6 and sentenced to life in jail in November 2018 after being arrested at Dubai airport as he tried to leave. He was eventually released later that month under the terms of a presidential pardon.
Since he resigned as prime minister, Lord Cameron has enjoyed close ties with the Emirates.
In April this year, the former prime minister was the headline speaker at the Arabian Business Leadership Summit in Dubai.
At the time, he told Arabian Business: “I very much look forward to sharing my own thoughts and experiences with business leaders from across the region in June, and to returning to the UAE – a country I have spent considerable time in before,” adding that it was “somewhere I always enjoy visiting”.
Lord Cameron also had a job teaching politics at the New York University Abu Dhabi in January this year.
Earlier this year, he wrote in The National, a UAE-owned newspaper, that he had been “bowled over” by the country’s physical transformation.
He said that one of the questions asked on his university course is whether states and governments are “capable of long-term thinking and delivering major projects that can transform their nation’s prospects”.
He wrote: “There is little doubt that when it comes to the UAE, the answer is a solid ‘yes’,”
Mr Hedges also warned that the takeover of The Telegraph titles by an Abu Dhabi-backed investment fund was a national security risk, calling the bid “insane”.
He said: “This is completely a national security risk because it impacts and it infects our democracy.”
Ownership of The Telegraph and its titles is set to pass to RedBird IMI, an investment fund led by Jeff Zucker, the former CNN boss, and backed by Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the UAE’s royal family.
Mr Hedges, who has written a book on the power dynamics of the UAE, said the country “doesn’t give media freedoms, [and is] potentially working with hostile actors to undermine our state”.
He added: “Why on earth would this be allowed? It’s incredible, it’s insane.”.
An Ofcom team is investigating the impact of the proposed RedBird IMI takeover on the public interest in free expression and the accurate presentation of news.
It is due to deliver a report to Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary, by January 26 with advice on how to proceed. She will then decide whether to allow the takeover, negotiate remedies to protect press freedom with RedBird IMI, or refer the bid to the Competition and Markets Authority for deeper scrutiny.
The UAE government has denied that Mr Hedges was tortured while in custody.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “We recognise that Mr Hedges and his family’s experience was a distressing one that has had a profound impact.
“Helping British nationals abroad is a top priority and we offer advice and support at any time of day or night, helping over 20,000 British people and their families every year.”
