by Ian Paul, Psephizo
International relations and the moral choices that go with them are complex. On what basis do we continue to trade with other countries with very different values from our own, and at what point do we cry ‘Enough is enough!’ and use economic sanctions to challenge what we regard as immorality? And what is our ethical basis, as a post-Christendom nation, for doing so?
During a speech in the House of Commons on March 1, 1848, Lord Palmerston said:
We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.
which is often shortened to ‘we have no permanent allies, only permanent interests.’ This can sound like offering a consistent ethnical approach to such questions—but perhaps it is just about putting Britain first, and protecting our own interests ahead of others.
If the present government was to decide that we should impose sanctions on one of our trading partners, who should we prioritise? The list of those we trade with who have abused human rights is long, so I have drawn up this table.
| Country | Human-rights concerns | UK trading relationship / sanctions position |
|---|---|---|
| China | Xinjiang/Uyghurs, Tibet, Hong Kong, political repression, censorship, arbitrary detention | Major UK trading partner; no comprehensive economic sanctions, but arms embargo and targeted sanctions. UK trade was about £105bn in 2025. Human Rights Watch |
| Qatar | Treatment of migrant workers, restrictions on expression, discrimination against women, LGBT people and religious minorities | Extensive trade and investment; no country sanctions. UK concluded a GCC FTA in 2026, though it is not yet in force. Human Rights Watch |
| Saudi Arabia | Restrictions on political expression, executions, women’s rights, treatment of migrant workers, abuses associated with the kafala system | Extensive UK trade, investment and defence relationship; no comprehensive sanctions. Human Rights Watch |
| United Arab Emirates | Suppression of dissent, unfair trials of activists, migrant-worker abuses, restrictions on expression | Major UK trading/investment partner; no comprehensive sanctions. Human Rights Watch |
| Bahrain | Suppression of political opposition, imprisonment of activists, restrictions on expression and association | UK has close diplomatic, defence and commercial relations; no comprehensive sanctions. Human Rights Watch |
| Kuwait | Restrictions on political expression, migrant-worker and stateless-person rights | Normal UK trade; no comprehensive sanctions. |
| Oman | Restrictions on expression and assembly, labour-rights concerns and treatment of migrant workers | Normal UK trade and close strategic relationship; no comprehensive sanctions. |
| Egypt | Arbitrary detention, torture, restrictions on civil society, expression and political opposition | Significant UK trade and investment; no comprehensive country sanctions. |
| India | Concerns over religious freedom, treatment of minorities, civil liberties, press freedom and political opposition | Major and growing UK trading relationship; no comprehensive sanctions. The UK-India trade agreement came into force in 2026. GOV.UK |
| Turkey | Political repression, imprisonment of journalists/opposition figures, restrictions on expression and association | Extensive UK trade; no comprehensive country sanctions. |
| Bangladesh | Political violence, arbitrary detention, extrajudicial abuses, restrictions on expression and labour rights | Significant UK trade, particularly garments; no comprehensive sanctions. |
| Pakistan | Restrictions on minorities, blasphemy laws, enforced disappearances, political repression and abuses by security forces | Significant UK trade and diaspora-linked economic relationship; no comprehensive sanctions. |
| Indonesia | Abuses in Papua, restrictions on expression/assembly and minority-rights concerns | Significant UK trading relationship; no comprehensive sanctions. |
| Vietnam | One-party authoritarian rule, imprisonment of dissidents, restrictions on expression, religion and association | Growing UK trade; no comprehensive sanctions. |
| Azerbaijan | Political prisoners, repression of journalists and opposition, restrictions on civil society | UK maintains trade and energy relations; no comprehensive economic sanctions. |
| Kazakhstan | Restrictions on political opposition, expression and assembly; abuses associated with the 2022 unrest | Normal UK trade and investment; no comprehensive sanctions. |
| Uzbekistan | Restrictions on political/religious freedom, expression and association, although some reforms have occurred | Normal UK trade; no comprehensive sanctions. |
I wonder if, dear reader, you were aware of the extent of human rights violations in these countries, and the extent of our positive trading relations with them. I am not sure I was before drawing up this table. But in fact these abuses are well known by governments; they just never get reported in our press. The US State Department’s country-report system, for example, documents human-rights issues across Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, India, Bangladesh and others.