Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Consolidated Guidance to Service Personnel on overseas detention and reports by Human Rights Watch of torture being practised by Saudi forces at al-Ghaydah airport, what assessment he has made of the compliance with that guidance of the deployment of UK military personnel to Al-Ghaydah airport in Yemen.

I am aware of speculation in the media regarding UK military personnel operating in Yemen. The UK is not a member of the Saudi-led Coalition. Since the conflict in Yemen began, the then Defence Attache accompanied the then Foreign Secretary on his trip to Aden in March 2019. In 2020 the UK attached a military officer to the office of the UN Special Envoy in an advisory capacity. This military officer has visited Yemen several times in this role. Overseas operational deployments of military personnel are notified to Parliament in line with the longstanding convention of successive Governments.

Separately, the UK Government does not participate in, solicit, encourage or condone unlawful killing, the use of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (“CIDT”), or extraordinary rendition.