Labour could back UK air strikes on Houthi rebels ‘in the national interest’
Labour would back air strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacking trade routes in the Red Sea if it is “in the national interest”, i has been told.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the UK was considering “direct action” to prevent further attacks on container ships which are threatening to damage the global economy by diverting ships on a much longer route around Africa.
The UK and United States are thought to be preparing a joint statement to issue a final warning to the Yemen-based rebel group over the attacks.
A Government source did not rule out air strikes if the Houthis do not back down but described the prospect as “speculation”.
Air strikes would be a major escalation of the response to Houthi attacks and would risk inflaming tensions in the Middle East amid the Gaza conflict.
A Labour source told i the party would not make a decision on whether to back any strikes until seeing specific proposals, but added: “Labour will always support action in the national interest.”
Labour MP Fabian Hamilton, a former shadow peace minister and member of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, meanwhile told i: “The Houthis’ actions against merchant shipping in the Red Sea are completely unacceptable and the UK should take any necessary steps, including force, to protect our commercial assets in the region.”
He went on: “The Houthis’ warped ideology is having a disastrous impact on the people of Yemen.
“However, given the extensive use of British weapons against Yemeni civilians by the Saudi-led coalition [which is fighting the Houthis in the country’s civil war], it is also essential that our arms export control regime must be strengthened.
“This can be achieved by empowering the House of Commons Committee on Arms Export Controls which would give MPs the authority to scrutinise properly every arms sale before it takes place.”
Writing in the Telegraph newspaper, Mr Shapps said the UK “won’t hesitate to take further action to deter threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea”.
“The Houthis should be under no misunderstanding: We are committed to holding malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks,” he said.
A Royal Navy destroyer last month joined international efforts to deter attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea.
HMS Diamond joined American and French warships in an US-led task force dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian.
The Sun and the Telegraph have reported the UK is weighing up the possibility of an armed response as the Iran-backed Houthis claim attacks on ships in the Red Sea that they say are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports.
They say their attacks aim to end Israel’s air and ground offensive targeting the Gaza Strip following the attack by Hamas on 7 October.
A UK official said: “The situation in the Red Sea is incredibly serious, and the Houthi attacks are unacceptable and destabilising. As you would expect, while planning is under way for a range of scenarios, no decisions have yet been made and we continue to pursue all diplomatic routes.
“We call for the Iranian-backed Houthi to cease these illegal attacks and we are working with allies and partners to protect freedom of navigation.”
