Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with international allies to help safeguard shipping and international trade transiting through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

We condemn Houthi attacks on shipping in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and on regional countries. The UK is working with international allies to safeguard shipping and international trade transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Through the UK led Yemen Maritime Security Partnership (YMSP), partners including the Government of Yemen, the United States, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Japan and the European Union, are working to help strengthen Yemen Coast Guard capabilities, improve maritime security, disrupt weapons smuggling and support freedom of navigation. The UK has committed $4 million to the partnership, which has secured over $20 million in international pledges and engaged more than 35 international partners to strengthen security along Yemen's coastline and the Red Sea. As UN Security Council penholder on Yemen, the UK is also working with partners to strengthen the UNSCR 2140 Yemen sanctions regime, arms embargo implementation, support the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM), and target Houthi procurement networks.