Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to send additional defence capabilities to the (a) Gulf of Aden and (b) Red Sea region following the attack on HMS Diamond.

On 11 January 2024, Royal Air Force aircraft joined coalition forces in striking a number of facilities used by the Houthi rebel faction in Yemen to attack shipping in the southern Red Sea.

This followed the Houthis persistence in threatening merchant ships and deliberate targeting of HMS Diamond and US Navy vessels on 9 January 2024.

This limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence was taken alongside the United States against targets tied to these attacks, to degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping.

As announced during the 8 January 2024 Defence Orals, HMS Richmond is sailing from the UK to the Red Sea. We keep operational deployments under review to ensure that we are able to respond to the situation in the region.