Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to protect the civilians trapped in Hodeidah, Yemen.

We are in regular contact with the Coalition about the need to ensure that any further military operations in and around Hodeidah are conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law, including on the protection of civilians, and do not disrupt commercial and humanitarian flows through the port. The UK has been at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the Yemeni crisis and addressing this is a priority for the Government. The Foreign Secretary discussed humanitarian issues with King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia on 12 November. I spoke about these issues to the Saudi Foreign Minister on 30 October, and to the Emirati Deputy Foreign Minister on 7 November.