CMEC Chairman, Hugo Swire MP, and the CMEC team were invited to two dinners in October hosted by HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Ali bin Rashid Al-Khalifa, the Bahrain Ambassador to the Court of St James, at his London residence.

The intimate dinners, which were aimed at introducing the Kingdom of Bahrain to Conservative prospective parliamentary candidates, were attended by around 50 potential MPs across the two evenings.

The Bahraini Ambassador who has his own close personal connection with the UK having been educated at Shrivenhem, Southampton University and RAF Cranwell before joining the Bahraini Air Force, addressed the guests expertly on the historic relationship between the Conservative Party and his own country. Hugo Swire MP, responded to the Ambassador's speech and spoke about the close ties the UK has with Bahrain, his recent visits to the region and the forthcoming General Election.

The Ambassador then answered questions from the PPCs on a wide range of regional issues.