ANALYSIS: UK trading 'soft power' for hard cash in post-Brexit arms deals with Gulf

Militarily the UK's departure from the EU is unlikely to see a weakening of relations, said Peter Roberts, the director of military sciences at the influential Royal United Services Institute. "Political ambitions remain high [in the UK] and I think the UK's future will remain intertwined with the Gulf. There is a shared history and energy security, which the UK is hugely reliant on. "I don't see any change in term of permanent basing, rotation of forces or exercises either. The Gulf is one of the highest priority areas for the government."