Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to acquire from Ukraine (a) cheap anti-drone military assets and (b) instruction in maximising their effective operation in order to augment the protection of United Kingdom and allied personnel in the Middle East.

This continues to be an extremely challenging and unsettling time for many across the Middle East. The UK condemns Iran’s role in attempting to draw the region into a wider conflict. Our first priority is to protect British nationals, British interests and our partners. We support action that will help bring a swift resolution to this conflict, and an end to Iran's reckless and escalatory response.

I will not go into operational details but let us be clear, Iran has continued to support Russia in its on-going illegal war on Ukraine including through supplying unmanned aerial systems – like those now being used to target our Middle East partners.

We will continue to do all we can to ensure the protection of United Kingdom and allied personnel in the region

The Minister for Defence Readiness & Industry has been engaging with industry on how the UK can further support partners in the region.