The Qatari government has spent more than £190,000 on trips for 37 British MPs over the past five years, according to an analysis by the Financial Times, prompting criticism by transparency campaigners.
All of the trips were within parliamentary rules and were fully declared but they have raised questions about Qatar’s charm offensive in the west to counter criticism of its human rights record.
The European parliament has been engulfed by a corruption scandal after Belgian police seized at least €1mn in cash and detained a current and a former Socialist MEP as part of an international investigation into claims that the Gulf state sought to buy influence.