The United Arab Emirates' new ambassador to London has vowed to cycle the length of the UK as part of a charm offensive by the Gulf state as it tries to repair relations dented by the imprisonment of British academic Matthew Hedges.

Mansoor Abulhoul takes up his posting this week pledging to cycle from Lands End to John O'Groats as part of a public diplomacy drive.

His appointment comes after Britain's traditionally strong ties with the country have been shaken by Mr Hedges' conviction. The 31-year-old was accused of being an MI6 spy in the UAE and spent months in solitary confinement. Mr Hedges' life sentence was pardoned in November, but his conviction remains.

The sentencing of Mr Hedges, a researcher at Durham University, was at the time described as unacceptable by the Foreign Secretary, who threatened the UAE with “serious diplomatic consequences”. Theresa May said she was "deeply disappointed and concerned" by the case.

Emirate officials hope the appointment of the Gordonstoun-educated envoy, who is a keen sportsman and has a British mother, will herald the start of an improvement in relations with the UK.