“Our number one priority is growth,” said Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she landed in Riyadh on Sunday 26 October 2025, the first UK chancellor to visit the Gulf in six years. She will pitch Britain to investors at the Fortune Global Forum before joining the Future Investment Initiative, with meetings alongside senior Saudi figures and global CEOs.

Officials want the long‑negotiated UK–Gulf Cooperation Council trade deal over the line. Government analysis suggests a GCC agreement could lift bilateral trade by around 16%, add £1.6bn to UK GDP each year and deliver roughly £600m more in annual wages. For firms from Teesside chemicals to Yorkshire precision engineering, that would be real money.

The Treasury says the trip has already produced a £6.4bn package of two‑way trade and investment, including up to £5bn in UK Export Finance support to help British suppliers win Saudi work. That matters in the North, where exporters often need state‑backed cover to compete with rivals from France, Germany and the US.

Aviation told its own story. Riyadh Air’s inaugural Riyadh–London service launched on 26 October, tightening business links as the airline prepares for a fleet that will include 25 Airbus A350‑1000s ordered in June. Those jets come with UK depth: wings assembled in Britain and Rolls‑Royce engines at their core.

Much of that work touches this region. Airbus builds A350 wings in the UK at Broughton before transport to the continent for final integration, sustaining thousands of skilled jobs and a long supply chain that runs into the North West.

In South Yorkshire, Rolls‑Royce’s Advanced Blade Casting Facility in Rotherham produces single‑crystal turbine blades for Trent XWB engines-high‑value parts that underpin export orders and apprenticeship routes local firms rely on.

Aerospace employers in Lancashire continue to anchor pay packets, with BAE Systems’ Samlesbury and Warton sites employing around 12,000 people across advanced manufacturing, test and support-activity that benefits whenever export finance and overseas contracts flow.

Reeves’ investment pitch also references big‑ticket UK projects-among them Heathrow’s expansion-highlighting that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund bought a 15% stake in the airport last year. Ministers argue such partnerships can crowd more capital into British infrastructure and supply chains.

Investment Minister Jason Stockwood, appointed on 6 September, joined the delegation, saying the aim is to “open new doors for British exporters” and pull in high‑value capital. For Northern SMEs, that means fresh routes into Gulf contracts-if firms are bid‑ready and finance‑ready.

Not everyone is convinced. Trade unions and rights groups have urged safeguards in any deal with Gulf states, while Reeves says she will be honest about “areas of divergence” with counterparts. The test for the North is whether this week’s promises translate into orders, apprenticeships and pay rises on our factory floors.

For business owners across the North, the immediate steps are practical: line up UK Export Finance cover, speak to your accountant about cashflow for export delivery, and get on the Department for Business and Trade’s radar ahead of tender windows. The opportunity is there; the question now is speed and follow‑through.