The prime minister has said the UK will provide military support to Saudi Arabia while the nation is coming under attack from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
During his flight to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Andy Burnham told reporters that he had agreed to provide “defensive air-to-air refuelling” of Saudi planes on the advice of the defence secretary and foreign secretary.
The agreement came after a request for support from Saudi Arabia and is “time-limited”,, meaning it may only last a matter of weeks, ITV News understands.
“I go back to the point I made about the cost of living pressures and acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region,” Burnham said.
“Because of course Saudi Arabia has been experiencing attack, is looking at potential further disruption and we need to keep those alleyways open, and hence our agreement to the request.”
The Houthis advanced inside Yemen earlier this month, seizing the crucial port city of Mokha and key Red Sea islands.
This has allowed them to better monitor shipping traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb, through which some 12% of world trade normally passes.
The UK has condemned the Houthi attacks and said it will “work with partners to support regional stability, protect civilians and support humanitarian access”.
Officials had previously declined to comment on “operational matters” but noted that Britain and Saudi Arabia have a close defence partnership.
The US, which bombed the Houthis under the Biden and Trump administrations, has shown no interest in getting involved militarily this time around.
UK officials say the agreement will start in the coming days, and involve one RAF Voyager refuelling Saudi planes on “defensive” missions.
It was reported last week that Saudi Arabia had asked its allies, including France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt, to deploy air-defence support to the region to help defend against missiles and drones fired by Houthis and other Iran-backed groups on the kingdom.
The Houthis descended from their stronghold in northern Yemen, taking over the capital of Sanaa in September 2014 and forcing the country’s government into exile in Saudi Arabia.
The following year, Saudi Arabia led a multinational coalition that entered the war in an attempt to restore the government.
The coalition imposed an air and sea blockade on the Houthi-held areas, as part of its war efforts.
They are allied to Iran, and have said a lot of their recent threats have been in response to the Israel-US war with Tehran.
Recent fighting between Houthi and government forces has displaced 130,000 people, with 680 people killed or injured in the past week, according to the World Health Organisation.
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