Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU security and defence partnership on the defence industry.

As this is a critical moment for the security of our continent, we welcome European efforts to increase defence spending, through the ReArm initiative including the EU’s €150 billion loan programme, also known as SAFE (Security Action for Europe).

The UK and the EU have agreed an ambitious new Security and Defence Partnership as part of a wider package of the UK-EU reset. Crucially, the Security and Defence Partnership means the UK now meets the criteria for discussing participation in common procurement under SAFE, which could provide new opportunities for our defence industry. Recognising the important role that the UK’s defence industry plays already for European security, we have set out our ambition to swiftly explore the potential for enhanced cooperation through the proposed SAFE instrument, as soon as the EU’s necessary processes are complete.