Tony Blair Institute kept taking Saudi government money after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi

Former UK prime minister Tony Blair’s institute continued to advise the government of Saudi Arabia after the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi and continues to receive money from the kingdom, The Sunday Times newspaper reported.

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change is involved in a multi-million pound partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Information as part of Vision 2030, the so-called modernisation and economic diversification drive led by 37-year-old Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman (MbS).

Bin Salman was accused of ordering the assassination of Washington Post journalist Khashoggi, luring the 59-year-old to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he was then brutally executed and his body dismembered by Saudi agents.  

Khashoggi’s murder led to outrage and condemnation from across the globe, including by close allies such as the US. However, Blair’s institute continued to work with Riyadh after evidence linking Khashoggi’s death to bin Salman emerged, despite what a spokesperson claimed were “anxieties” within the institution around the murder.

Blair Saudi contract 'justified' despite 'terrible crime'

Blair, however, was of the view that continuing the lucrative contract with the Saudi government was “justified” despite the “terrible crime”, with no staff member opposing the decision, according to a statement from the institute to The Sunday Times.

Blair’s institute contract with Riyadh began in 2017 and carried on through 2018, the year of Khashoggi’s murder. While that contract has wrapped up, Blair continues to be on the Saudi government’s payroll.

The spokesperson for Blair’s institution defended this by pointing to the “renewed engagement” between “western countries” and “Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman”. 

Critics have argued that Saudi Arabia has used its extensive wealth to successfully whitewash not just the murder of Khashoggi but its poor human rights record in general.

However, despite this, Blair has remained defiant, with a statement from his office saying he “took the view then and is strongly of the view now that the programme of social and economic change under way in Saudi Arabia is of immense and positive importance to the region and the world … the relationship with Saudi Arabia is of critical strategic importance to the west, and that therefore staying engaged there is justified,” as reported by The Sunday Times.