UK backs US calls to end Saudi-led war in Yemen

"This is an extremely welcome announcement because we have been working towards the cessation of hostilities in Yemen for a long time," Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the BBC.

Earlier on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Houthi rebels should pause fighting and begin negotiations on a possible peace deal.

"The time is now for the cessation of hostilities, including missile and UAV (drone) strikes from Houthi-controlled areas into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Subsequently, coalition air strikes must cease in all populated areas in," Pompeo said in a statement.

Pompeo also said the US was also embarking on a new push for peace in Yemen, where as many as 50,000 have died and the country has been plunged into a major humanitarian crisis.

Over the past few months, the US has said little about the war, which has led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Pressure has been mounting on the UK and US in recent weeks to take a stronger stance on their close relationships with Saudi Arabia, with the two powers continuing to sell weapons to the regime used to bomb Yemen.

On Tuesday it was reported that the real death toll in Yemen was likely five times higher than the official count given.

Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) said that at least 56,000 people have died in the Yemen war, a figure much higher than the 10,000 figure given by most news agencies.

Yemen has also been plunged into a humanitarian crisis with famine and disease threatening to smother the country.