[4] Before the country's formation in 1971, the emirates which currently constitute the UAE were once all part of the Trucial States and independent sheikhdoms allied with the United Kingdom, assigned as British protectorates by the General Maritime Treaty of 1820.

An agreement between the British government officials and the ruler of Sharjah in 1932 led to the construction of a fortified airfield known as Al Mahatta Fort, to allow a stop on the Imperial Airways route to Brisbane, Australia.

It was Britain's defence of the Sheikhs of Abu Dhabi in the 1940s and 50s against encroachments and claims on its lands, by the then King of Saudi Arabia, that safeguarded the territorial integrity of what would become the United Arab Emirates.

[8][9][10] In September 2023, The Athletic reported that the UK embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London discussed these charges against Manchester City.

In 2013, the “Project Falcon”, a team of 10 officials, was set up to give the UAE privileged access to the British political elites, the NHS, globally renowned institutions and prime land deals.

He said the MPs who opposed the deal attempted to carefully emphasize that “the UK valued the partnership with the United Arab Emirates and would still be keen for inward investment”, and certainly “that is not how it is perceived by the Emiratis”.

Ahead of the 2024 general elections, the bilateral relations slowed after the UK government blocked the UAE-backed bid to acquire The Telegraph, and alleged the Emirates of supporting Sudan’s RSF.

[18] In June 2024, sources claimed that the Foreign Office officials attempted to discourage condemnation of the UAE over its role in supplying arms to the RSF militia, by putting pressure on African diplomats to not criticize the Emirates.

As per a senior legal counsel at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Yonah Diamond, the UK was persuading some states during the informal talks in Ethiopia to not criticize the UAE.

The UK is using its diplomatic influence to support efforts for a durable peace.”[19] In November 2010, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II made an historic visit to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, her first since 1979, when she also visited Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

William Hague) signed the Abu Dhabi Declaration 2010 with His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, reaffirming the 1971 friendship treaty between the two nations.

In November 2018, the United Kingdom foreign minister Jeremy Hunt threatened the UAE with "serious diplomatic consequences" after it sentenced a British academic Matthew Hedges to life in prison for allegedly spying for the UK government.

[29] Following the Labour Party's victory in the 2024 general election, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy's first call was to his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, underlining the bilateral relationship's importance.

[32] Well-known Britons include Edward Henderson, who wrote a book "Arabian Destiny" on his career in the region after World War Two developing oil concessions and learning about local politics both within and beyond his role in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

[33] An 18th century masterpiece painting, titled ‘Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy’, was gifted to the UAE by the United Kingdom as a token of goodwill and a symbol of enduring friendship between both countries in July 2019.

The painting was presented by the British Ambassador to the UAE Patrick Moody to Dr Hamed bin Mohamed Al Suwaidi, the chairman of Abu Dhabi Arts Society.