MP Rachael Maskell has thrown her support behind school children petitioning for peace in Yemen.

The York Central MP joined activists and children at Westminster to hand in a Save the Children petition, containing more than 58,000 signatures, to the Foreign Office.

They want the plight of children in Yemen to be heard and political promises to be turned into practical change at the UN Security Council.

Maskell said: “These British children believe the children of Yemen deserve a better future. Witnessing their determination to hold our government to account is a reminder to us all that we must be persistent in our pursuit of peace.”

Save the Children is calling on the UK to put children at the forefront of its foreign defence and aid policies and hold allies to account when they commit atrocities against children and implementing a clear strategy to protect children and their families caught up in conflict.