Conservative MP Bob Seely said the UK has to take action to protect international trade, following reports that a British cargo ship off the coast of Yemen has been hit by a Houthi missile.
The Rubymar cargo ship was attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, forcing the crew on board to abandon it.
The UK’s maritime authority confirmed the ship sustained "catastrophic" damage in the missile attack off the coast of Yemen and is now at risk of sinking.
It comes as the EU prepares to launch a new mission to protect commercial vessels in the Red Sea, after the UK and the US sent military ships to the region in December.
Bob Seely says the UK 'must defend itself' against Houthi rebels
GB News
Attacks on vessels by the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, are starting to have an economic impact, disrupting cargo shipments between Asia and Europe.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea claimed in a statement that the Houthis had also shot down a US drone in the port city of Hodeidah.
Speaking to GB News, Conservative MP Bob Seely supported the UK's actions in defending British vessels against the Houthis in order to maintain "international freedom of movement".
Seely warned that the "world is in trouble" if the UK and US are unable to defend the vessels against the rebels across the Red Sea.
Houthi rebels have been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea
Reuters
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The member of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee stated: "We've got to defend ourselves and we've got to take action against these people. We need to defend ourselves and we need to defend international freedom of movement.
"If we cannot defend open seas, the world is in trouble. I am fully supportive of the Government's action."
Seely continued: "It's not us that's looking for trouble, it’s people lobbing shells into major shipping lanes where you've got over ten per cent of the world's trade.
"We've got to defend the right of free trade around the world. It's important and we can't have our sea lanes hijacked by either, frankly, China or extremist groups in the Middle East."
Bob Seely told GB News that we live 'in a very dangerous world'
GB News
In a discussion with Bev Turner and Andrew Pierce, he explained: "We're not a minor player, Britain's great power. We're not a superpower, we haven't been since the 1950s, but we're a very significant great power and we've got to play our part.
"The modern world, which has brought a great deal of prosperity and peace for mankind for humanity since World War II, was created by Britain and the US and the other victors in World War Two, but primarily us two.
"And actually we have a role in defending it. We are doing the right thing.
"I think we should be spending more on defence - we live in a very dangerous world."