Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the discontinuation of the Franco-German plans to jointly develop a next generation fighter jet, what assessment they have made of the (1) implications, and (2) opportunities, for the UK's Global Combat Air Programme.

The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) has been designed with Allies and partners at its heart and interoperability at the centre of its development.

We and our GCAP partners Italy and Japan agree that the programme is in principle open to additional partners to secure burden-sharing, industrial benefits and growth opportunities, as long as programme delivery is assured. Decisions on any additional partners will be made jointly with Italy and Japan.