Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect the EU policy of strategic autonomy on the future availability of advanced weapon systems to the UK's armed forces.

The EU's policy of strategic autonomy entails the ability to act and cooperate with international and regional partners wherever possible, while being able to operate autonomously when and where necessary. We believe an open and inclusive approach to European capability development is in our mutual strategic security interests, and will help strengthen our Armed Forces and our defence industries.