The Minister is a decent fellow who will not have enjoyed what he announced yesterday. The United Nations Secretary-General stated that cutting aid for Yemen is akin to delivering a death sentence, especially with cuts by over 50%. Sir Mark Lowcock warned of millions of children starving slowly and agonisingly due to reduced aid. Mitchell questioned the rationale behind such a cut given that Britain remains one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

The Government’s announcement at a high pledging conference discarded the British people's proud history of supporting those in need. Cutting aid is a death sentence that this Government have chosen to make, so will the Minister take this opportunity to apologise? Will he stop all UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia and publish a full list of cuts made in 2020 and to be made in 2021 by the end of the week?

Does the Minister agree that UK’s position leaves a large gap for the world's poorest to suffer, and has he reached out to Gulf countries and Iran to help fill this gap?

Is the Minister’s conscience still clear regarding continuing arms sales to Saudi Arabia after cutting humanitarian aid by 50%? What is this Government’s response going to be?

Does the Minister agree that progress can be made only through international cooperation with everyone playing their part to solve the crisis?

What is the reason behind cutting aid to Yemen by 60%, and what impact assessment has been made of these cuts?

Our £214 million-worth of aid funding for Yemen this year will support at least 500,000 vulnerable people each month to help them buy food and household essentials, treat 55,000 children for malnutrition, and provide 1 million people with improved water supply and basic sanitation. Will my right hon Friend reassure the House that he is stressing to the conflict parties that it is essential that they allow this aid to reach the areas that it is intended to help? Does he agree that, given these figures, now is not the time to be reducing aid to those whom we supply in Yemen who are most in need?

The crisis in Yemen is wholly human made. Thousands have died as a result of the war, thousands of children have lost homes and lost schools, and poverty and starvation are the order of the day. Britain’s record in this is appalling. Throughout this whole conflict, we have armed Saudi Arabia knowing full well that those missiles are killing people in Yemen, and at the same time claiming to be the harbingers of peace by organising a resolution at the United Nations. Will the Minister make it very clear that all arms sales to Saudi Arabia will stop and that Britain will be a determined partner in trying to bring about a peace process through a ceasefire as quickly as possible and to build good relations with all countries in the region? Too many people have died. The conflict has gone on too long and it simply has to stop. We should be a party to ending the war, not promoting the war.

There is a strong convention that before a Government undertake a policy that puts lives at risk, they get prior approval from this House. We cannot make a 50% cut in this budget without cutting into crisis and healthcare support, thereby putting at least 100,000 children’s lives at risk. Will my right hon Friend guarantee that before the Budget votes are held next week we can have a written statement giving a breakdown of the cuts made this year in the aid budget and undertaking that no more cuts will be undertaken unless and until this House approves it?

The Government’s appalling decision to cut aid to Yemen has been described as “a death sentence” by the UN Secretary-General, and he is right. This enormous cut, in a year when 400,000 children under five might starve to death, is not only heartless but, just like the cut to the 0.7%, damages the UK’s international reputation, and they are doing this just weeks after announcing £1.36 billion in new arms sales to Saudi Arabia—the exact opposite of what the United States is doing. Is this what we can now expect—the UK Government shrinking away from their commitments, leaving other, more compassionate countries to pick up the slack?

The legislation allows the Government to miss the 0.7% target by accident or in an emergency, but not to plan to miss it for an indefinite number of years ahead. Can my right hon Friend give a commitment today that further cuts will not be made until the necessary legislation promised to this House by Ministers who announced this policy has been put to a vote so that this House can express a view?

The Minister referred to the humanitarian aid that the UK has already given to Yemen, which we recognise, but I am afraid he has failed today to explain why the Government have now decided to cut that contribution by more than half. Doing the right thing in the past is not a justification for doing the wrong thing now. Yesterday, a Yemeni aid worker co-ordinating food aid distribution, said this: “Children are dying every day here. It is not a moral decision to abandon Yemen.” Why have the Government done this when for example Germany, which is also facing the same unprecedented economic situation—to use his own words—has managed to pledge twice as much as the United Kingdom?

The Minister started his remarks by saying that money matters. Yes it does, but what this cut represents is a cut to projects, a cut to aid and a cut to assistance that will put lives in jeopardy. If the Government are so reassured by their position, then I suggest that they bring a vote to the House on this issue and they can truly gauge the strength of feeling. We have a moral duty to lead on this issue and I hope he will consider bringing a vote before it is too late.

According to the report published yesterday by the all-party group for international freedom of religion or belief, the last remaining Jewish communities in Yemen were ordered to leave in 2020 and the Yemeni Christian community, which once numbered some 41,000, has now shrunk to just a few thousand. Moreover, the Yemeni Baha’i community faced increased persecution at the hands of Houthi authorities last year. Will the Minister share his views on how aid spending in Yemen can be better used to support religious and belief minority groups in Yemen?

As chair of the all-party group for Yemen, yesterday I spoke to some very brave women from within Marib, which is under long-term siege from the Houthis. They told me that most of the Houthi forces are young men and teenage boys recruited from the most impoverished parts of Yemen. They also told me that Marib is now hosting over 2 million displaced people across 144 camps. Many children are not just suffering from famine and disease; they have been deeply traumatised after having been driven out by the Houthis. They all rely on generous UK aid and the example it sets to other countries who need to step up in the humanitarian aid effort and the subsequent reconstruction. How can indicating a cut in UK aid at this crucial time do anything but prolong this terrible conflict?

No matter how much the Minister attempts to hide behind how much the UK gives, it will not disguise the impact that this brutal 60% cut will have on the life chances of Yemenis. Save the Children says that already 400,000 children under the age of five are at risk of starving to death this year, so I ask the Minister: how many deaths are he and this Tory Government prepared to have on their conscience, because they certainly do not act in my name?

Yemen remains a significant international security concern, with more terrorist attacks organised from there than anywhere else in the world. With the Biden Administration rewriting their foreign policy towards Yemen, Tobias Ellwood questions whether this presents an opportunity for the UK to end the civil war and improve its strategy, including cutting arms exports and being ready to lead peacekeeping forces as required by the UN.

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is worsening with 80% of the population needing aid. Blockades are restricting access, leading to a significant number of children under five facing acute malnutrition this year alone. Gill Furniss criticises the reduction of support as Yemen battles coronavirus and faces cholera outbreaks, questioning how it aligns with the UK's pledge to build a global Britain.

David Mundell emphasises the need for effective aid in Yemen. He asks about recent discussions with international counterparts regarding a panel of experts’ report on Yemen and invites the Minister to meet representatives from humanitarian organisations, local NGOs, and the Yemeni private sector to address serious shortcomings and factual inaccuracies contained within the report.

Despite declaring that improving the situation for Yemenis was a priority, Zarah Sultana criticises the Government’s 50% cut in aid and questions how this aligns with their commitment. She also points out the £6.7 billion-worth of arms sales to Saudi Arabia since the start of the war, calling on the Minister to take necessary actions for peace by ending these arms sales.