Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received evidence on whether financial service providers (1) have been, and (2) are currently, discriminating against small and medium-sized enterprises involved with defence or military equipment.

HM Treasury is aware that SMEs and startups operating in the defence sector face barriers to accessing finance.

The Ministry of Defence is looking at these issues as part of the Defence Finance and Investment Strategy (DFIS) to be published in early 2026. The DFIS will look at the entire spectrum of defence companies, from start-ups through to primes, and provide recommendations to the Defence Secretary on how barriers to investment in defence can be removed.