Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether during his meeting with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia on 20 January 2020, the Foreign Secretary raised (1) the alleged involvement of the government of Saudi Arabia in the hacking of Jeff Bezos’ phone; (2) the use of digital spyware and targeted surveillance more broadly; and (3) any ongoing evaluation of claims over the involvement of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

The Foreign Secretary raised a number of bilateral issues during his meeting with HH Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, including on human rights.

The verdicts in the trial of Jamal Khashoggi’s killers was released on 23 December 2019. The Foreign Secretary released a statement at the time reiterating that Mr Khashoggi’s killing was a terrible crime, and that his family deserve to see justice done. Saudi Arabia must hold all those responsible to account and ensure such an atrocity can never happen again. We have consistently set out our grave concerns - both publicly and privately - and will continue to do so.

Any allegation of phone hacking is a concern. The alleged hacking of Jeff Bezos’s phone is not a matter for the British Government.