Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, following the use of lasers by the Russian ship Yantar to disrupt a Royal Air Force Poseidon P-8, what is the threshold needed to necessitate offensive action by the UK military if a foreign vessel is operating in a) UK territorial waters b) our Exclusive Economic Zone and c) international waters off the UK coast.

The Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence continuously assess its response options to ensure our Armed Forces can act appropriately against malign activities and future threats.

For reasons of national security, I am not able to disclose specific details of military operations or response options. To do so would be beneficial to our adversaries.