23 January 2024 , 12:57
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Rishi Sunak has warned the UK will not "hesitate to act again" with air strikes against the Houthis in Yemen if Red Sea shipping attacks continue.
His comments in the Commons came hours after the UK and US conducted a second round of joint strikes on the rebels' missile-launching capabilities.
The Prime Minister told MPs on Tuesday the Government is "not seeking a confrontation" as he urged the Houthis to "stop these illegal and unacceptable attacks". But he added: "The UK will not hesitate to respond again in self-defence. We cannot stand by and allow these attacks to go unchallenged. Inaction is also a choice."
He said an "initial assessment" showed there were no civilian deaths as a result of the British warplanes' fresh attacks on missile sites around the capital Sana'a. The PM said the second wave of RAF strikes were authorised on Monday evening because of an "ongoing and imminent threat" against ships in the Red Sea.
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Unlike the first round of strikes, the Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and the Labour leader Keir Starmer were not alerted of the strikes in advance. Mr Starmer told MPs on Tuesday the Labour Party backed the military action, saying the attacks in the Red Sea were bringing "danger to ordinary citizens".
The Labour leader said it is right MPs hear more about the effectiveness of the strikes and urged the Government to publish fresh legal advice. In response, Mr Sunak said he expected a summary of the legal advice would be published, adding the basis for action "remains the same as last time".
Earlier No10 said further strikes by the RAF against the Houthis could be carried out if the Red Sea attacks continue. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Clearly, the indiscriminate action has continued so it's right that we take this action in self-defence and we don't rule out further action should it be necessary."
They added: "We believe the initial strikes were effective in degrading the capability of the Houthi rebels. I don't think at any point we said that one strike would be sufficient to completely stop these indiscriminate attacks. But the evidence we've accrued since the first strike makes us believe it was effective in destroying the targets and degrading their capabilities."
The PM also told the Commons there would be a "general debate" for MPs on the military action on Wednesday. But the Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who backed the strikes, also called for MPs to be given a vote. "It is deeply disappointing that elected representatives are being bypassed on an issue as important as military action," he said.