Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of risks of delaying the publication of the Defence Readiness Bill.

We have accepted the 2025 Strategic Defence Review recommendation to develop a Defence Readiness Bill to ensure the Government has the powers to respond effectively to keep the UK safe in any escalation towards war.

The Defence Readiness Bill is proceeding on the expected timeline for a bill after this Parliament which allows the MOD to engage across industry and Government to ensure the measures being brought forward are correct. As the hon. Gentleman will know, all future legislation is subject to the usual approval and announcement processes.