FORMER Gourock councillor Chris McEleny has called for Inverclyde's MP to condemn the recent military action in Yemen.

The UK, in coalition with the US, has struck more than 60 targets in 16 locations, raising fears of a broader escalation of the conflict in the region.

Mr McEleny believes his former SNP colleague Ronnie Cowan should speak out over the strikes.

He says the people of Inverclyde would rather see money spent reducing the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on families than on war efforts.

Now general secretary of the Alba Party, Mr McEleny said: “In Inverclyde we have the right to say that this action is not in our name and our local MP should make that clear at Westminster.

“The Westminster machine seems incapable of learning from its mistakes in its disastrous interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. War is not the answer to the unimaginable suffering that is happening every day in the Middle East.

“This action could well be the catalyst that escalates tensions and results in our armed forces being dragged to another illegal war. Parliament is right to be appalled that military action has been carried out without its approval.”