Council-NUFC emails reveal Saudi money push
Human rights campaigners have previously raised concerns about Newcastle’s Saudi links
Senior figures at Newcastle City Council and Newcastle United are using the takeover of the club to push for closer ties and more investment in the city from Saudi Arabia, it has emerged.
Emails between top civic centre directors and the NUFC hierarchy have revealed efforts to use the Saudi-led ownership of the football club to develop new ties from Newcastle, North East businesses, and universities to the Gulf state.
Human rights campaigners have previously raised concerns about Newcastle’s Saudi links due to alleged human rights abuses by the country’s regime and are now warning Newcastle City Council that “this type of relationship with Saudi Arabia aids its efforts to distract attention from its appalling human rights record”.
The emails, obtained by the NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing group (NUFCFAS) and seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, indicate a close relationship that has also seen the council ask Magpies co-owner Amanda Staveley to intervene at the highest levels of the UK government in its efforts to secure funding for the restoration of the Tyne Bridge and city Labour leader Nick Kemp urge the club to pay more than £23 million to fund free school meals.
The council said it will “always look at opportunities to drive investment” that “ultimately puts money in the pockets of all our residents” – and that it was for the UK government, rather than local leaders, to address human rights concerns.
Meanwhile, deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden will reportedly use a visit to Saudi Arabia this week to say that £3 billion of investment from Saudi Arabia will help sustain around 2,000 jobs in the North East.
Among more than 200 pages of emails released under a freedom of information request is a briefing from the council’s director of investment and growth, Michelle Percy, for Magpies co-owner Amanda Staveley ahead of her meeting with Lord Johnson, the UK’s minister for investment.
That note, from April 2023, states that “there is an ambition for Newcastle to attract further investment from the Gulf region” following the NUFC takeover, to increase exports from the North East, and bring in tourists.
It adds that the council is “working closely” with teams from the UK’s Office for Investment and the Department for Business and Trade in Saudi Arabia and suggests that the North East could create a “knowledge exchange programme” with Saudi Arabia around tourism and develop a “joint energy institute led by North East and Saudi Universities”.
It also suggests an invitation to a Newcastle United match and a visit to Riyadh or Jeddah, aided by Ms Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), that would “include key North East stakeholders to further relationships”.
The PIF, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, became the 80% owners of NUFC in 2021 when the club was sold by Mike Ashley.
Ms Percy also asked Ms Staveley and Jamie Reuben in 2022 to speak on an Invest Newcastle panel at the prestigious MIPIM property conference in Cannes, a briefing document for which describes the takeover as “one of the biggest investment opportunities Newcastle has seen in decades”.
Leading human rights organisation Amnesty International has cautioned city leaders against pursuing closer ties with Saudi Arabia.
Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK’s Head of Campaigns, warned that “when it comes to attracting Saudi money there is no such thing as a free lunch”.
He added: “Newcastle City Council should be careful who it approaches for money – this type of relationship with Saudi Arabia aids its efforts to distract attention from its appalling human rights record from a crackdown that has seen women imprisoned for demanding equality to a record number of executions.”