The UK's international trade secretary, Liam Fox, has pulled out of attending a major Saudi investment conference next week in the wake of the suspected murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Fox's withdrawal, which was first reported on Twitter by BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale, comes after several days of pressure from senior Conservative colleagues, who were demanding he follow the lead of business leaders and journalists and boycott the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh next week.

On Wednesday, former Tory cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell told BuzzFeed News that no British minister could attend the event "in all conscience".

A government spokesperson confirmed on Thursday that Fox would no longer attend the glitzy event — which is known as "Davos in the desert" and is being hosted by Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman — adding that the UK government looked forward to seeing the findings of the Saudis' own investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance.