PM's withdrawal from Saudi prisons deal 'widens Cabinet rift'

Gove and May dispute reportedly reignited over £5.9m contract to train Saudi prison officers

David Cameron with Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz
David Cameron chats to Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia in 2012
(Image credit: Amer Hilabi/AFP/Getty Images)

Prime Minister David Cameron's decision to pull out of a divisive £5.9m contract to train prison officers in Saudi Arabia is said to have widened a Cabinet rift.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove was accused by senior figures of "forcing the prime minister's hand" over the issue, with the decision seen as a "blow" to Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and Home Secretary Theresa May, reports The Times.

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