Aerial footage shows moment RAF Typhoon strikes Yemen military target
Sir Keir Starmer has backed Lord Cameron’s claim that “doing nothing” in response to Houthi attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea was not an option.
“They were ramping up and escalating… sitting back and doing nothing in that situation is not an appropriate response,” the Labour leader said.
He went on to say he does not want to “ramp up the rhetoric” but that he has “serious concerns” about Iran, which backs the Houthi rebels.
And he repeatedly called for Rishi Sunak to make a statement in parliament explaining the UK and US strikes on Monday.
It comes as the foreign secretary warned Britain could strike Houthi targets again if the rebel group continued to attack ship in the Red Sea.
Suggesting that the Iran-linked militants could force up prices in Britain, he said that not acting would be accepting that Houthi attacks could “virtually shut a vital sea lane with relative impunity”.
Writing for the Sunday Telegraph, he dismissed Houthi assertion that their attacks are linked to Israel’s war in Gaza as “nonsense”.
RAF strikes not an escalation of war in the Middle East, Lord Cameron insists
Lord Cameron has denied RAF strikes in Yemen will escalate the picture in the Middle East, as he warned the world faces a period of great peril.
The Foreign Secretary insisted it was the Houthi rebels who had taken steps to escalate conflict in the region with their attacks on container ships passing through the Red Sea.
The militant group, which backs Hamas, claims they have targeted ships with links to Israel.
The Houthis’ actions have posed a threat to the flow of global trade, disrupting merchant vessels from passing through the sea to the Suez Canal, a route which serves 15% of world shipping.
The Foreign Secretary denied that the UK had escalated the situation by taking part in US-led air strikes on Houthi military facilities across Yemen overnight on Thursday.
He had previously warned the RAF could join the USA in further strikes against the Houthis in order to deter their attacks.
“The escalation has been caused by the Houthis. I mean the point is since November 19, you have had these 26 attacks”, Lord Cameron told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
He added: “There have been more of them, they have been getting worse, and you know, not acting is also a policy, it is a policy that doesn’t work.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain14 January 2024 12:25
Mapped: How the US and UK attacks on Houthi rebels took place and what weapons were used?
Huge explosions were seen in Yemeni cities including Sana’a and Hodeidah in the early hours of Friday, with the US military saying 60 strikes were launched against 16 sites linked to the Houthis’ military operations.
Below, The Independent looks at how the attacks unfolded and what weapons were used in the strikes.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain14 January 2024 12:07
Watch in full: Editor-in-chief Geordie Greig talks Yemen and political Traitors
Editor-in-chief of The Independent, Geordie Greig, appeared on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg this morning (14 January), to discuss David Cameron’s return to politics, as well as the ongoing situation in Yemen. Mr Greig described the now-foreign secretary as a “Rolls-Royce” for his “smooth” and “persuasive” energy in government, but acknowledged that there would be “bumps in the road”. When it came to Keir Starmer, Mr Greig analysed his “Blair-lite” strategy for Labour ahead of the general election. “He doesn’t have to do very much, he doesn’t have to over-inspire”, he said of the Labour leader.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain14 January 2024 11:38
Starmer weakens pledges on military action votes and Saudi arms sales
Sir Keir Starmer has watered down promises to introduce a law giving MPs a vote before military intervention and to stop selling weapons to Saudi Arabia.
The Labour leader insisted on Sunday that there is “no inconsistency” between his previous promise to give the Commons a say before authorising action and his support for strikes against Houthis.
But his comments marked another change to his past pledges which will further raise concerns on the left and leave him open to Conservative accusations of “flip-flopping”.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain14 January 2024 11:17
Geordie Greig discusses return of ‘Rolls Royce’ David Cameron to UK politics
The Independent’s editor-in-chief Geordie Greig described David Cameron as a ‘Rolls Royce’ returning to politics during a new interview on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg this morning (14 January). “He’s smooth, he’s persuasive, he powers along”, Mr Greig noted, adding that there were ‘definitely bumps in the road’ – referring to the foreign secretary’s refusal to say how much he was paid by Greensill Capital. “Such a flatterer!”, Kuenssberg responded to the analogy, however, Mr Greig insisted we’d “seen it all before”. David Cameron also appeared on the show, as well as Labour leader, Keir Starmer.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain14 January 2024 10:47
Keir Starmer: ‘Doing nothing in Yemen was not an appropriate response’
Sir Keir Starmer has backed Lord Cameron’s claim that “doing nothing” in response to Houthi attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea was not an option.
“They were ramping up and escalating… sitting back and doing nothing in that situation is not an appropriate response,” the Labour leader said.
He went on to say he does not want to “ramp up the rhetoric” but that he has “serious concerns” about Iran, which backs the Houthi rebels.
And he repeatedly called for Rishi Sunak to make a statement in parliament explaining the UK and US strikes on Monday.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain14 January 2024 10:30
When faced with previous comments about how Parliament should vote before any UK military action, Starmer insisted: “There’s no inconsistency here.”
“There will always be urgent situations where Parliament can’t be consulted beforehand,” he said.
(PA)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain14 January 2024 10:04
Starmer explains why he backs government’s response to Houthis
Speaking on the UK’s attacks on Yemen, Sir Keir said: “It’s important to look at what Houthis are doing in the Red Sea. Those attacks are taking place. They were ramping up and escalating.
“Sitting back and doing nothing is not an appropriate way to respond and that’s why I back the operation the government briefed me on.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain14 January 2024 09:52
Starmer calls for a ‘sustainable’ ceasefire in Gaza
Laura Kuenssberg challenged Keir Starmer if it is time as Labour leader to call for a ceasefire.
Sir Keir said: “I do think we need a sustainable ceasefire. The question is how do we get there?”
He added that we need a “humanitarian truce” to allow aid to get in, as well as the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
However, when pushed once more, he confirmed he is not calling for an immediate ceasefire.
(PA)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain14 January 2024 09:47
Lord Cameron: Red Sea military action ‘completely separate’ from Israel-Hamas war
Foreign secretary David Cameron claims that the UK’s action against the Houthis in the Red Sea is ‘completely separate’ from the Israel-Hamas war. Lord Cameron appeared on Sky News this morning (14 January), where he addressed claims that blocking the action of the Houthis shows a lack of compassion towards Palestine. “It’s unacceptable, we have to act, and there’s a very large number of allies that agree with that”, he said. Cameron claims that military action was a ‘last resort’ but hasn’t ruled out further intervention.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain14 January 2024 09:37
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
