Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has made an assessment of the implications for (a) her policies and (b) levels of international trade of Houthi activity in the Red Sea.

The UK is committed to ensuring the safety of shipping in the region and safeguarding international trade routes. Amid ongoing Houthi attacks against commercial vessels transiting the Red Sed, the UK has joined Operation PROSPERITY GUARDIAN to help safeguard freedom of navigation.

Whilst other government departments are leading the overall response to the Red Sea crisis, the Department for Business and Trade is focussed on the trade and business side. We continue to assess impacts of Houthi activity on international trade and are working across Government to analyse sectoral impacts and engage industry. Mitigating supply chain issues and promoting free and open international trade continue to be top priorities of HMG.

HMG will shortly be publishing the UK Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy, which will reflect the government’s broader Supply Chain Resilience Framework.