UK military support deal with Saudi Arabia
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed to a Saudi Arabian request for 'defensive' air-to-air refuelling support, using a single RAF Voyager aircraft based at Akrotiri, Cyprus, after intensifying Houthi drone and ballistic missile strikes on Riyadh and Red Sea energy sites. Burnham said he approved the request on the advice of Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband; officials described the offer as 'time limited,' likely lasting 'for weeks' in the first instance, and said it would help Saudi jets intercept incoming Houthi missiles and drones rather than involve direct UK strikes. Burnham linked the decision explicitly to cost-of-living pressures at home, telling reporters en route to the UN General Assembly that 'we need to keep those pathways open' through the Red Sea, a vital global shipping artery the Houthis have squeezed further by seizing the port city of Mokha and Perim Island. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had hinted last week that European support for Saudi Arabia was likely, while UK Energy Minister Martin McCluskey had already told MPs Britain was 'providing air defence support' without elaborating - the latest step in a UK-Yemen engagement dating to January 2024, when Britain joined US air strikes on Houthi targets after the group attacked a Royal Navy warship.
As it ran
22 September 2026
21 September 2026
- UK to provide Saudi Arabia with 'defensive' military support, says Burnham BBC News
- UK PM Burnham agrees to Saudi request for refuelling support South China Morning Post
- Burnham to meet Trump, make UN debut after offering UK support for Saudi Arabia South China Morning Post