Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Qatari financial support to the Houthis on their ability to launch the recent attacks on UK and NATO naval vessels.

Qatar is an important friend to the UK; our bilateral relationship is deep-rooted and includes wide ranging cooperation across many areas including regional security. The UK works closely with Qatar on issues of regional security. We have regular Ministerial engagement with Qatar on a range of issues, with the Foreign Secretary and Minister for Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, meeting their counterparts in December.

Prior to our self-defensive strike on Houthi targets, we had been engaging extensively with regional partners to deter Houthi threats and to ensure freedom of navigation and safe passage in the Red Sea. It is in all our interests to work together to de-escalate tensions in the region.