Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what restrictions, if any, were placed on the remit of the reviewers authoring the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was an external document. It was presented to the Department by the external reviewers, who were working to the Terms of Reference that the review be deliverable and affordable within the fiscal envelope available to Defence

The reviewers of the SDR were able to consider all aspects of Defence, with discretion to examine additional issues that arose during the Review. Their remit included established parameters such as the Government's commitment to the independent nuclear deterrent, NATO as the cornerstone of UK Defence, support for Ukraine, and the need to maintain defence ties with key regions.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards equipping UK armed forces with nuclear weapon capability additional to the submarine continuous at-sea deterrent.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The United Kingdom will purchase 12 F-35A aircraft and join NATO’s Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA) nuclear mission. This is not a decision to acquire a second sovereign delivery system, and the nuclear weapons allocated to the NATO DCA mission are United States nuclear weapons which remain under US custody and control.

The UK will continue to rely on its four nuclear deterrent submarines. A submarine based deterrent system has served the UK well for decades, providing the assured second-strike capability that is the foundation of the UK’s national security, and we expect a submarine-based approach will continue to offer a high level of capability.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of President Macron's announcement that he intends to make France's nuclear capability available to its European allies.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

At the 2025 UK-France Summit, and through the Northwood Declaration, His Majesty’s Government agreed concrete steps to further strengthen the United Kingdom’s nuclear co-operation with France. Both nations are resolved to deter threats against Europe. The UK's nuclear deterrent remains declared to the defence of NATO, and our collaboration with France strengthens our existing commitments to our Allies. We welcome the proposals set out by President Macron to co-operate more closely with Allies on nuclear issues.