Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Statement of 19 July 2018, HCWS883 on the Modernising Defence Programme, how many phases he intends the Modernising Defence Programme to have.

The Modernising Defence Programme is an ongoing programme of work. It aims to deliver better military capability and value for money, so that Defence is configured to address the more complex threats we face, as well as achieving enduring affordability.

Since its launch we have made good progress, as set out in the headline conclusions in the Written Statement published on 19 July (HCWS883). We are aiming to share more detailed conclusions following a further period of analysis and cross-Government discussion.