Bahrain: UK Mideast minister in Manama

British foreign office minister for the Middle East Hugh Robertson visited Bahrain on 4 June, for the third meeting of the UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group. It was Robertson’s first visit to Bahrain as minister; he was formerly minister for sport, but took over from Alistair Burt in October in an unexpected reshuffle (GSN 956/6). The UK has a very close relationship with the government in Bahrain, and has been repeatedly criticised by human rights groups, and even by the UK parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, for not being outspoken enough about ongoing human rights abuses there (GSN 970/16, 959/6).