LONDON: Britain is facing calls to take tougher action against Iran and the Iran-backed Houthis, with one Labour MP saying it was “astonishing” that the UK government had not already proscribed the Yemeni group as a terrorist organization following deadly attacks on multiple civilian targets last week.
Luke Akehurst, MP for North Durham and a member of the Labour Party’s governing body, told Arab News he found it “astonishing that the Houthis are not a proscribed terrorist organization given they have repeatedly attacked civilian targets in Saudi Arabia.”
His comments come amid growing calls from within Britain’s establishment for tougher action against the Houthis following near-daily attacks, including those on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, which have left at least 20 dead.
On Friday, Conservative life peer Lord Sarfraz became the third member of the House of Lords to demand proscription, telling Arab News the airport attacks had brought the situation to a “tipping point,” with civilians from around the world potential targets, including hundreds of thousands of Britons.
Akehurst said the loss of civilian life in the Gulf had made the situation a humanitarian issue, while the Houthis’ attacks on civilian airports and on a major UK ally had also made it a policy issue for Westminster.
In Parliament, Labour MP Alex Ballinger asked whether the government had shifted its position on proscription. While not directly answering, Stephen Doughty, Foreign Office minister, stressed that the UK took the Houthi threat seriously and stood with its Gulf partners.
Those partners have for months been urging more action from the international community, with Saudi Arabia seeking full support in confronting the Houthis, while the UAE labeled the group’s targeting of Saudi civilians a “flagrant violation” of Saudi sovereignty.
The Houthi threat has also raised questions about Iran’s wider role in regional security. Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat told Parliament that Tehran was expanding violence in Yemen by using the Houthis to target civilians in Riyadh, linking the attacks to its wider regional activities.
Tugendhat’s comments reflect concerns across the Gulf, with the GCC’s Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi having accused Tehran in July of seeking to perpetuate regional chaos and undermine safety and security.
An incident at Royal Air Force Fairford in September, which led to several arrests, has also raised concerns about Iran’s reach. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the incident was highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran and almost certainly directed by the IRGC.
Precise details of what occurred have not been released, although reports have suggested explosives and drones may have been involved. Burnham announced further sanctions on Tehran, and the Foreign Office summoned Iran’s ambassador on Monday.
Akehurst said the Fairford incident should be seen as a “wake-up call,” adding that it was now clear the UK faced a “significant risk of Iranian or Iranian-sponsored attacks here in the UK.”
While acknowledging the government’s response through new sanctions and its summoning of the Iranian ambassador, he asked: “Why are there accredited Iranian diplomats still here if Iran is organizing a terrorist threat to the UK?”