Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 51 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, when he plans to commission the Competition and Markets Authority to support his Department in monitoring (a) competition and (b) supply chain structures in the defence industrial base.

In accordance with the Defence Industrial Strategy the Department is already engaged with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Public Policy Team to provide subject matter expertise on the review of the single source contracting regulations. The CMA are also working with the Department in reviewing the state of defence competition.