Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement on Ajax, published on 22 January 2026, to what extent did departmental submissions not reflect the full breadth of known aggregated safety risk regarding vibration related injuries and historical programme issues.

As I advised in my Written Statement on 22 January 2026, the outcome of the Ministerial review concluded that Departmental submissions were accurate in declaring Ajax as safe to operate. However, it also found Ministers should have been briefed more comprehensively in relation to operational impact and the nuanced risks of operating safely. Importantly, submissions did not reflect the full breadth of known aggregated safety risk, particularly regarding vibration related injuries and historical programme issues.