Royal Navy: HMS Prince of Wales mission to "reassert principles" on free shipping after air strike on Houthis

John Healey told the House of Commons today (April 30) that HMS Prince of Wales’ eight-month mission leading the UK Carrier Strike Group maintains principles which need protecting - namely the freedom of navigation.

This comes as the RAF and American forces carried out an air strike on a drone manufacturing facility operated by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Paveway IV precision guided bombs were used to destroy the cluster of buildings without any civilian casualties.

Houthi militants, supported financially and military by Iran - and even Russia on occasion - have been attacking merchant vessels and Royal Navy warships in the Red Sea. Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond came under fire drones and missiles while deployed there.

Mr Healey, Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, said: “Yesterday’s attack aligns with four broad objectives. One, to restore freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Two, to degrade Houthi capability and prevent future attacks. Three, to reinforce regional security alongside allies and partners. And four, to protect our economic security at home.”

The defence secretary said Houthi militants have launched more than 320 attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. He added: “These attacks are illegal, they’re deadly, and we totally condemn them. Maritime routes have been disrupted, sailors have been killed, commercial ships have been hit and sunk. Houthis have even targeted aid vessels destined for Yemen itself, as well as military vessels of our allies and partners.”

Mr Healey described the rebel group as an “agent of instability” across the Middle East. Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge, Conservative, said he supported the actions to target the facility. “Drones were used by the Houthis to target our own Naval ships such as the attempted attack on HMS Diamond in January last year,” Mr Cartlidge added. “Freedom of navigation is vital to the ships of many nations, the whole world benefits from action taken to keep international shipping flowing, supporting the wide economy.”

The Tory MP for South Suffolk asked Mr Healey what talks have taken place with allies and Nato members regarding direct military action against the Houthi rebels. He said “urgent procurement decisions” need to be made that relate directly to the threat in the Red Sea, including “accelerated” upgrades to the Sea Viper missile system used on Royal Navy warships.

The politician was frustrated by what he sees as delays to these decisions due to the ongoing Strategic Defence Review (SDR). Mr Healey responded: “This is bigger than politics. It’s about freedom of navigation, regional stability, and the important security relationship we have with the US.”

He added: “When I met the crew of HMS Diamond, they demonstrated to me and talked to me in detail about just how exceptional their response to that multiple attack was, and how effective the weaponry on HMS Diamond was at that time. We are upgrading the ships with a number of capabilities, including DragonFire. We are not just doing that on one ship, but four, and we’re doing it sooner than he planned, and we’re fully funding it which he hadn’t done.”

The defence secretary said the Houthi situation is regularly discussed, and international navies working together on Operation Highmast will prepare them for future events. He added: “Those discussions about regional stability, Houthi threats and the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, were made by foreign ministers at the G7, and with Nato foreign ministers within the last month.

“The very Carrier Strike Group he (Mr Cartlidge) welcomed the deployment of last week is multinational by design, designed to exercise together to reassert those basic principles of supporting the freedom of navigation of our seas.”

During his statement, Mr Healey said an estimated 12 per cent of global trade, and 30 per cent of container traffic passes through the Red Sea every year, much of it on its way to the Suez Canal shipping route. However the threat has led to a 55 per cent decrease on what levels were in November 2023. Ships now take a 5,000 mile diversion around the Cape of Good Hope, adding an extra fortnight to journeys and further costs to consumers, Mr Healey added. He said

“They continue to receive backing from Iran, both military and financial. And even Russia has attempted to support the Houthi operations. The aggression in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is yet another example of how our adversaries are increasingly working together against our interests.

“It’s a matter of international law, but it’s a matter of economic self-interest for us in Britain because the price paid by the disruption to world shipping and this essential trade route through the Red Sea, that price is paid by ordinary people in the food they buy, the goods they depend on, and that is in part why we’ve taken the action we did last night.”