Lib Dems demand retrospective vote on Houthi air strikes
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The Liberal Democrats have demanded a retrospective vote on Britain’s air strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, as Sir Keir Starmer called for Rishi Sunak to make a statement in the Commons on the military action.
The UK’s participation in the strikes alongside the US was approved by Cabinet ministers in an emergency joint call on Thursday night.
The Labour leader, along with his shadow defence secretary John Healey, was briefed on the situation, as was Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker.
Layla Moran, the foreign affairs spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, said Parliament “should not be bypassed” on decisions to take military action.
The MP for Oxford West and Abingdon said: “Rishi Sunak must announce a retrospective vote in the House of Commons on these strikes, and recall Parliament this weekend.
“We remain very concerned about the Houthis’ attacks. But that makes it all the more important to ensure that MPs are not silenced on the important issue of military action.”
However, Downing Street confirmed that there were “no plans” for such a vote to take place, with the Prime Minister saying he would be “making a full statement in Parliament and taking questions”.
Sir Lindsay said he would be “happy to facilitate a recall at any time” on the issue, but the Speaker cannot do so without being instructed to by the Government.
Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said that while his party was “minded” to back the Government’s position on military intervention, “the Government should have recalled Parliament”.
He added: “There’s a principle there which actually has been upheld for the vast majority of the last decade or more after what happened in the Iraq war… we had that dreadful war which I think many people now realise was a big mistake.”
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer said on Friday that Labour was “fully supportive” of the action needed to respond to attacks by Houthi rebels, but asked that Rishi Sunak make a statement to Parliament “as soon as possible”.
Sir Keir called for the Government to publish a summary of its legal position following the strikes, which was done shortly before 11.30am.
However, some backbench Labour MPs have criticised the Government over the decision to strike the Houthi rebels.
Apsana Begum, MP for Poplar and Limehouse, called the military action “dangerously provocative, at a time when de-escalation (and) peace-building in the region is needed”.
Claudia Webbe, MP for Leicester East, wrote on X: “Stop the War. Stop bombing Yemen. Recall Parliament Now.”
Also condemning the Government’s actions was former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, now sitting as an independent, who described not recalling Parliament as “utterly disgraceful”.
The MP for Islington North said: “Military action in Yemen by the UK & US government is a reckless act of escalation that will only cause more death and suffering.
“It is utterly disgraceful that Parliament has not even been consulted.
“When will we learn from our mistakes and realise that war is not the answer?”
A prime minister does not require parliamentary approval and has a constitutional right to decide when to authorise military action.
A retrospective vote was held in 2011, after the then-prime minister David Cameron approved military action in Libya.
