Sketch: Jonathan Aitken, friend of the Saudis, makes case for staying chums

At least he added that floggings and mass executions were rightly viewed as unacceptable 'under our system'

Jonathan Aitken called for a different moral compass (Getty Images)

“Do we give Saudi Arabia too hard a time?” pondered Justin Webb, one of the presenters of the Today programme. “Do we focus too much on the whippings, the beheadings, what critics say is the sheer cruelty of the place – the subjugation of women, the export of hatred around the world?”

It was, to say the least, an interestingly framed question. Perhaps tomorrow’s debate will be: “Should we ignore the seemingly endless stream of corruption and bribery emanating from Fifa, buy Sepp Blatter a birthday cake and just enjoy the footy?”

The BBC did, to its credit, manage to find one man willing to rush to the defence of the Saudis and the UK Government’s tender diplomatic relationship with them: convicted perjurer Jonathan Aitken, known for television appearances including the World In Action documentary “Jonathan of Arabia”.

Undeterred by Webb’s withering introduction, Aitken proceeded to present the case for the UK staying good chums with the Saudis rather than contemplating the unforgivable alternative of being “noisy critics”.

Listeners keen for his assessment of the Government’s controversial bid for a £5.9m training contract with the Saudi prison service – recently binned by Michael Gove – were not disappointed. “I think in the context of Britain’s commercial relationship with Saudi Arabia… this is a small item,” he said nonchalantly. “It’s made quite a lot of news, but I’m not sure it’s very important in the broad judgement of the relationship.”

One wonders whether this view will be of comfort to Raif Badawi, the liberal blogger sentenced to 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes for criticising clerics, or Ali al-Nimr, who stands to be beheaded and crucified for fomenting revolution on his BlackBerry when he was 17.

Anyway, they shouldn’t worry because the medieval sentences frequently handed down under Saudi Arabia’s interpretation of sharia are actually being “constantly reprieved” – partly due to subtle behind-the-scenes “nudging” from British diplomats, Aitken protested.

In a rare concession, he added that floggings and mass executions were rightly viewed as unacceptable “under our system” of justice – but the one operated by the Saudis was “completely different” and therefore called for a totally different moral compass (or perhaps none at all).

Perhaps the most telling part of the exchange was when the former minister for defence procurement became confused about exactly which flogging case he and Webb were discussing. In a country like Saudi Arabia, it must be easy to lose track.