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Written Question
Warships: Procurement
Wednesday 8th July 2026

Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps has his Department taken to ensure that construction of the Common Combat Vessels outlined in the Defence Investment Plan is timed to coincide with the completion of orders of the Type-31 frigate program.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Common Combat Vessel (CCV) will be the Royal Navy’s first ‘Hybrid’ warship, coordinating uncrewed systems in the air, on the surface and under the sea to deliver more resilient air defence at the centre of the Hybrid Navy. Whilst the CCV remains in the initial stages of design, the Navy’s aspiration is to sequence the arrival of the CCV and wider Hybrid Navy Integrated Air and Missile Defence capability with the out of service dates of the T45s in the mid-2030s onwards.

There are options for hull forms we are exploring and announcements will be made in the usual way as the project progresses.


Written Question
Warships: Procurement
Wednesday 8th July 2026

Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the timescales for procurement of the Common Combat Vessels outlined in the Defence Investment Plan.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Common Combat Vessel (CCV) will be the Royal Navy’s first ‘Hybrid’ warship, coordinating uncrewed systems in the air, on the surface and under the sea to deliver more resilient air defence at the centre of the Hybrid Navy. Whilst the CCV remains in the initial stages of design, the Navy’s aspiration is to sequence the arrival of the CCV and wider Hybrid Navy Integrated Air and Missile Defence capability with the out of service dates of the T45s in the mid-2030s onwards.

There are options for hull forms we are exploring and announcements will be made in the usual way as the project progresses.


Written Question
Warships: Procurement
Wednesday 8th July 2026

Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of whether the design of the Common Combat Vehicles outlined in the Defence Investment Plan will be based on the Type-31 frigate.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Common Combat Vessel (CCV) will be the Royal Navy’s first ‘Hybrid’ warship, coordinating uncrewed systems in the air, on the surface and under the sea to deliver more resilient air defence at the centre of the Hybrid Navy. Whilst the CCV remains in the initial stages of design, the Navy’s aspiration is to sequence the arrival of the CCV and wider Hybrid Navy Integrated Air and Missile Defence capability with the out of service dates of the T45s in the mid-2030s onwards.

There are options for hull forms we are exploring and announcements will be made in the usual way as the project progresses.


Written Question
Russia: Subversion
Tuesday 7th July 2026

Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, is he will define the meaning of "sub threshold" in relation to Russian threats and offensive action against UK people and interests.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

Recent publications, including the House of Common’s Defence Committee ‘Defence in the Grey Zone’ report and the Strategic Defence Review, highlight the breadth and depth of threats posed by sub-threshold activity. Russia remains the most pressing and immediate threat in this space, conducting malign sub-threshold activities which actively threaten the UK and our allies.

States who operate in this way below the threshold of armed conflict are seeking to exploit every potential weakness in our societies and alliances to gain an advantage.


Written Question
Russia: Subversion
Tuesday 7th July 2026

Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what activities would not be considered "sub threshold" in relation to Russian threats and offensive action against UK people, businesses and interests.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

We cannot provide detail on how the MOD would respond to certain activities versus others as this would assist our adversaries.


Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 06 Jul 2026
Oral Answers to Questions

"I welcome the move to commit to the procurement of six common combat vessels in the DIP. I hope that they will be based on the hull of the Type 31, which is being built by the very skilled workforce at Rosyth in my constituency. Will the Minister take immediate …..."
Graeme Downie - View Speech

View all Graeme Downie (Lab - Dunfermline and Dollar) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions

Division Vote (Commons)
6 Jul 2026 - National Security (State Threats) Bill - View Vote Context
Graeme Downie (Lab) voted Aye - in line with the party majority and in line with the House
One of 320 Labour Aye votes vs 0 Labour No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 394 Noes - 85
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 02 Jul 2026
Business of the House

"After holding a series of stakeholder events with local businesses and charities and an online survey attracting more than 1,000 responses, I have recently published the results of a city centre survey for Dunfermline. That survey highlighted that people are very proud to live in Scotland’s newest city and ancient …..."
Graeme Downie - View Speech

View all Graeme Downie (Lab - Dunfermline and Dollar) contributions to the debate on: Business of the House

Written Question
Military Aircraft: Deployment
Thursday 2nd July 2026

Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Quick Reaction Alerts launches there were from (a) RAF Lossiemouth and (b) RAF Conningsby in each month in (i) 2025 and (ii) 2026.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The number of Quick Reaction Alert launches from either RAF Coningsby or RAF Lossiemouth in each month in 2025 and 2026 can be found below.

Number of days QRA launched each month. 2025

Number of days QRA launched each month. 2026

Jan

1

1

Feb

0

0

Mar

0

0

Apr

2

1

May

0

1

Jun

0

0

Jul

0

Aug

1

Sep

2

Oct

0

Nov

0

Dec

0


Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 30 Jun 2026
Steel Tariffs: Northern Ireland

"I thank the Minister for his work and engagement on this issue over the last few weeks and months. I have been contacted by a range of defence and aerospace companies both in my constituency and across the UK—including some with a footprint in Northern Ireland—that are concerned that some …..."
Graeme Downie - View Speech

View all Graeme Downie (Lab - Dunfermline and Dollar) contributions to the debate on: Steel Tariffs: Northern Ireland