In a Downing Street readout published by the UK Government on 1 August 2026, the Prime Minister used a call with King Abdullah II of Jordan to restate the UK's view that the bilateral relationship remains strategically important. The account framed the partnership as unusually close across defence, security and economic cooperation, placing the conversation within a wider foreign policy context rather than treating it as a routine diplomatic exchange.
The language on the bilateral relationship was notably broad but clear in emphasis. According to the government readout, the Prime Minister said the UK placed high value on its friendship with Jordan and described the relationship as vital to both countries. That formulation points to a continuing effort to present Jordan as both a regional security partner and a state with which the UK intends to deepen practical ties.
The conversation then turned to the conflict in the Middle East, where the Prime Minister's stated priority was de-escalation. The readout also said the UK would continue to support Jordan in its self-defence. In policy terms, that wording matters because it places UK support for Amman within the immediate security pressures created by regional instability, while avoiding any wider announcement of new military or diplomatic measures.
Downing Street also said the two leaders discussed conditions in Gaza and the West Bank. The readout described the situation as appalling, signalling that the humanitarian and security position in the occupied Palestinian territories remains central to the UK's exchanges with regional partners. Although the statement did not set out further operational detail, it linked the bilateral call directly to current crisis management in the region.
The most specific policy signal in the statement concerned violence in the West Bank. According to the UK Government's account, the Prime Minister condemned attacks by Israeli settlers and said he would examine what further measures could be taken to deter that violence. The wording stops short of announcing a decision, but it indicates that additional UK action remains under consideration.
That point is likely to draw the closest attention in Whitehall and among foreign policy observers because the readout did not specify what those further measures might involve. The absence of detail leaves the government's options open while still creating a public record that settler attacks were raised directly at leader level. For a policy audience, the significance lies less in a new measure being announced and more in the formal signalling that deterrence steps are being reviewed.
The call also carried a diplomatic message beyond the immediate crisis. Downing Street said the Prime Minister looked forward to building a personal friendship with King Abdullah II, a line that is often used to underline leader-level continuity in bilateral relations. Set alongside the references to defence, security, economic ties and regional de-escalation, the statement presents the UK-Jordan relationship as one the government intends to keep active across both strategic and political channels.
Taken as a whole, the government readout offers a concise summary of the UK's current positioning: support for Jordan's security, continued focus on de-escalation, concern over conditions in Gaza and the West Bank, and a willingness to consider further responses to settler violence. What it does not do is move beyond signalling into detail. For now, the practical policy question is whether the reference to further measures is followed by a separate ministerial announcement or sanctions-related step.