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

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.
May and Hammond had apparently argued that the contract would help lead to reform in Saudi Arabia's justice system and that pulling out could damage relations with a key ally.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cameron's decision to withdraw from the controversial deal follows reports that Karl Andree, a 74-year-old British grandfather, is facing a public flogging for having several bottles of homemade wine in his car in the conservative Islamic kingdom.
"Downing Street insisted that the two issues were not related, but aides said that Mr Cameron had intervened in support of Mr Andree," said the Times.
The newspaper points out that a clash between Gove and May over how to deal with Islamist extremism in schools was "the most bitter internal division of the last parliament".
In The Independent, Jane Merrick welcomes Cameron's announcement and says she cannot understand why it was ever signed in the first place.
"It is naive, apparently, to dare to question the government of Saudi Arabia, even though it is responsible for carrying out the same atrocities that the British government rightly condemns Isis for, including beheadings and public floggings," she says.
The deal was due to provide Saudi Arabia's penal system with "training-needs analysis", which is understood to mean advising on gaps in training and knowledge of a workforce.
"It may not be quite the same as getting blood on our hands," says Merrick, "but, perhaps, we could say it is equivalent to British officials handing out towels to clean up the mess?"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
RFK Jr.: How to destroy vaccination
Feature Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaces all 17 members of the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice
-
The god in the machine
Feature An AI model with superhuman intelligence could soon become reality. Should we be worried?
-
ICE: Targeting essential workers
Feature After a brief pause, the Trump administration resumes its mass deportation plan
-
Is the G7 still relevant?
Talking Point Donald Trump's early departure cast a shadow over this week's meeting of the world's major democracies
-
Angela Rayner: Labour's next leader?
Today's Big Question A leaked memo has sparked speculation that the deputy PM is positioning herself as the left-of-centre alternative to Keir Starmer
-
Donald Trump's foreign policy flip in the Middle East
Talking Point Surprise lifting of sanctions on Syria shows Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar are now effectively 'dictating US foreign policy'
-
A running list of Trump's conflicts of interest
In Depth A potential Qatari plane is the latest in a series of problematic connections
-
Trump touts ambiguous 'deals' as Middle East trip wraps up
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The president's whirlwind regional tour concludes with glitz, bravado and an unclear list of concrete accomplishments
-
Is Starmer's plan to send migrants overseas Rwanda 2.0?
Today's Big Question Failed asylum seekers could be removed to Balkan nations under new government plans
-
Has Starmer put Britain back on the world stage?
Talking Point UK takes leading role in Europe on Ukraine and Starmer praised as credible 'bridge' with the US under Trump
-
Left on read: Labour's WhatsApp dilemma
Talking Point Andrew Gwynne has been sacked as health minister over messages posted in a Labour WhatsApp group