Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the level of recruitment to the armed forces.

Following the EU Exit referendum, as part of the formulation of Ministry of Defence strategy, an assessment was undertaken of the potential impact of Brexit on Armed Forces recruitment and retention. It concluded that Brexit was unlikely to impact directly on Armed Forces recruitment, given our nationality requirements, but there could be a secondary impact should Brexit increase demand for scarce skills in the UK. This could, indirectly, impact on Armed Forces recruitment and retention. Given uncertainty over the nature of the final Brexit arrangements and the subsequent impact on the UK skills base there are a range of potential consequences which will inform future Armed Forces recruitment and retention policy.