Sunak to address MPs for first time since UK and US strikes on Houthis in Yemen

Rishi Sunak will address MPs in Parliament today for the first time since the UK joined US air strikes on Houthi rebel targets in Yemen.

The RAF and US Air Force launched targeted attacks against military facilities used by the Houthis, with explosions heard in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, early on Friday. Blasts were also heard in Taiz, a south-western city near the Red Sea.

Mr Sunak said the strikes were “limited” and “necessary” to protect shipping, as many vessels had already had to divert around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, adding 10 days and around a million dollars in fuel to their journey.

The air strikes have sparked fears there could be a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East. Several opposition MPs expressed concern that Parliament was not informed of or able to debate the move, with the Liberal Democrats demanding that the House of Commons be recalled for a retrospective vote.

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