Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the strategic need for a British military presence in Bahrain.

The Ministry of Defence has had a Naval Base in Bahrain since the 1950s; UK mine-hunters are based there and British destroyers and frigates in the Gulf are supported from there. Under the new arrangement, signed at the Manama Dialogue, the UK and Bahrain committed to working together to enhance the existing facilities at the port. The agreement reaffirms the UK's and Bahrain's joint determination to maintain regional security and stability in the face of long-standing and emerging regional challenges.