bahrainthismonth.com | JUNE 2026 UK IN BAHRAIN 15 We have to start with the Free Trade Agreement which has been finally agreed between the UK and the GCC. How significant is this moment? This is a really significant agreement. It’s been in the works for just under four years, which is actually very fast for a Free Trade Agreement, and there was real political will on both sides. It is what we call a modest Free Trade Agreement. It’s really focused on the future world and being prepared for our trade relations as we change and embrace future industries. It’s also incredibly far-reaching: the most farreaching trade agreement that the GCC has done, and the first trade agreement that the GCC has done with a G7 major economy. So for these two to come together and agree our first trade terms is massive. The UK Government has said this agreement could be worth about £3.7bn. How do you think it will affect Bahrain-UK trade specifically? I’m really excited about the platform this provides. There will be, when it comes into force, an immediate effect. We should see millions and millions of pounds of tariffs lifted both ways, and so people will very quickly be able to see that they can get their products into one another’s markets cheaper. It’s not only an immediate effect. What happens with these agreements is you then get the chance to sit together and build it over time. We really should see a major change in the trajectory of our trade relationship. As the first G7 economy to reach this kind of agreement with the GCC, the UK is in a strong position. I think this is quite a ground-breaking agreement. It doesn’t just deal with the traditional aspects of trade, your tariff structure and so on. It looks at the kind of assurances investors and business people want: protection of intellectual property, data flexibility, mutual recognition and qualifications, all sorts of areas which will really spur business on. Our trade with Bahrain at the moment is £1.3bn per annum. We want to get that up and through the gears as fast as we can. What will this mean for the average person in Bahrain or the UK who is not part of a major corporation? It’s a really good question. On this agreement, there is a little bit of time before it will fully come into force. People shouldn’t expect to feel and see the change tomorrow. We first have to prepare the documents, then sign them, then there’s the ratification process and then it will open its doors. There’ll be on day one an immediate lift. We expect to see over £300m of tariffs lifted for UK goods coming this way and far more the other way, by the way. That will then, over time, quickly build to over £500m. The reality of this is it really will be felt by people across the UK and across the GCC. You will see new products on the shelves. You will see greater competition and prices falling. You will see more investment. you will see more investment and you will see more of Bahrain’s brilliant products appearing on the shelves in the UK as well. Any British goods, from a car down to a tea bag, should be experiencing a real positive impact. Diplomacy often happens behind closed doors, but you have also been very visible on social media. How do you see the role of an ambassador changing? It is extraordinary. Even in the three years after doing this role, I think we’ve seen the need to employ social media change and grow. When I first arrived, there was a real importance to being very visible and being out and about in the community, trying to be at as many events and meeting as many people as possible. I still put a premium on that. If diplomacy is anything, it’s contact between people and having a chance to share their perspectives so that we understand one another. But it’s not just taking nice photos and sharing them. It is really trying to speak to the things we care about and trying to share those with others. We really try to bring across British values: respect for people, respect for the environment and respect for heritage. People will often say to me: “How was your visit here?” or “How was your trip there?” and I realise they have been following what I am doing online. That is actually lovely, because it shows people are engaged. You are almost three years into your ambassadorship. With the FTA now delivered, what is at the top of your agenda for the next couple of years? It’s a relief to have got the FTA done, but it’s not the only agreement I’ve seen in my time in Bahrain. I think C-SIPA is also something very, very significant. One lesson from recent events is that the region needs to look even more closely at how it comes together to sustain important international norms on security. Bahrain did incredible things to look after people during a very difficult period, and I will never forget how well the Government looked after us, as well as the bravery and effectiveness shown by civil defence and security forces. The FTA, interestingly, is not just a point in time. It’s the beginning of a new process. A Free Trade Agreement sets up a closer dialogue between the parties around market access barriers, trading opportunities and future industries. I want to see more Bahrainicreated products in the UK. I want to see more British products here. I want to see us working more closely on financial services, carbon, future energy and technological advancement. Above all, there is an incredible history between our two nations. More business leads to more connectivity, and more connectivity leads to more life between our countries. Finally, 2026 marks the 125th anniversary of the establishment of the British Embassy in Bahrain. How proud are you of that milestone? We first moved to our site here in Manama, which for people who don’t know, we’re very privileged to be where we are, right in the middle of Government Avenue, a sort of leafy green oasis that you may have driven past without knowing. We first arrived here in 1901. We’ve, of course, been in Bahrain longer, and we’ve had a relationship with Bahrain for centuries before that. In 1971, of course, Bahrain became an independent, proud nation, and the British Political Agency turned into the British Embassy. If you look to the right out of the windows, you see old Bahrain, the trading centre of Manama. If you look to the left, we see beyond five kilometres of new development, soaring skyscrapers and the visual representation of Bahrain’s incredible progress. So we are right on the border between old and new, as a witness to everything Bahrain has achieved over that period. That makes us proud, because Bahrain’s success matters critically to us as a close ally. Anyone who comes into this building and onto this site Scan to watch cannot help but be struck by the extraordinary history we have enjoyed here.
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