Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with European allies on developing joint weapon production initiatives.

The Secretary of State for Defence continues to discuss defence capability matters, including on joint production, procurement and future development, with a range of our European Allies on a regular basis, both bilaterally and through multilateral fora. For example, the Secretary of State recently discussed our capability cooperation with France in Paris on 11 March, before discussing wider European industrial collaboration at the E5 defence ministers meeting on 12 March. I also have regular conversations with my counterparts. We continue to promote and encourage European Allies to co-design, co-develop and co-produce through a number of initiatives, including through UK-led Multinational Procurement Initiatives and DIAMOND.