Mr Sunak was likely to use the encounter to encourage Riyadh to produce more oil and gas in response to the disruption of supplies from Russia.

He was also expected to raise the human rights record of the kingdom as it continues to carry out executions.

Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the global economy, fuelling energy shortages worldwide, was also likely to come up.

Saudi Arabia, which leads the Opec alliance of oil-producing nations, has faced criticism for agreeing to cut production starting in November, in the face of global shortages.

The move strained relations with western nations including the US, which said the cut effectively benefits Russia, another Opec member, at a time when they are trying to choke off Moscow’s oil revenue to undercut its war in Ukraine.

Mr Sunak’s predecessor Boris Johnson faced accusations of going from “dictator to dictator” to find new fuel sources when he visited Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, and the United Arab Emirates earlier this year.