Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans his Department has for future cooperation and collaboration on security and defence policy with the EU27 nations in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

Delivering the deal negotiated with the EU remains the Government's top priority. This has not changed. As set out in the Political Declaration on the future relationship between the UK and EU, the Government has offered to cooperate closely on defence and security as part of an ambitious Security Partnership. This would be on a case-by-case basis, where of mutual benefit.

While our focus remains on securing agreement with the EU, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, like the rest of Government, is also preparing for "No Deal". In a No Deal scenario, the UK would have to withdraw from Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations - both military and civilian - and withdraw associated personnel seconded to the EU institutions. The UK would continue to act through other multilateral fora, including through the UN and NATO, and the UK’s cooperation and collaboration on security and defence with individual EU Member States will continue.