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UK Cabinet ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, are visiting Saudi Arabia to strengthen trade ties amid reports of Riyadh authorising lethal force to clear land for a new desert city. Dowden is leading a 450-strong delegation of British businesses at the two-day summit aimed at promoting economic ties. Downing Street defended the visit after the BBC reported claims of Saudi forces using deadly force to evict villagers for The Line, a 105-mile-long metropolis in Neom. See Rishi Sunak’s spokesman emphasised the importance of the UK-Saudi relationship and confirmed ministers would address human rights concerns. Campaigners criticised the visit, urging an independent investigation into the reported killings. Amnesty International highlighted the need for businesses to assess risks in Saudi Arabia. Dowden announced a new joint task force for higher education cooperation and projected a £3 billion investment from Saudi Arabia to sustain 2,000 UK jobs.

Colonel Rabih Alenezi, an exiled Saudi intelligence officer in the UK, alleges Saudi forces have orders to shoot villagers resisting eviction for "The Line," a futuristic megacity part of the $1 trillion NEOM project. Aimed at transforming the Saudi desert into an eco-city and reducing oil dependency, The Line will be two skyscrapers stretching 106 miles, intended to house up to nine million people by 2030. However, current projections expect only 300,000 residents by decade's end with minimal construction completed. The NEOM project has faced significant hurdles, including human rights abuses against local tribes like the Huwaitat, resulting in deaths, arrests, and imprisonments as authorities forcefully evacuate areas for development. Reports from Saudi rights group ALQST corroborate the violent displacements and human rights violations. Despite its ambitious scope, NEOM's viability remains questioned, with setbacks including high staff turnover and operational challenges compounding the controversy surrounding the project's impact on indigenous populations. See