Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2023 to Question 147059 on Ukraine: Challenger Tanks, what assessment his Department made when considering the case for sending Challenger 2 Tanks to Ukraine; and for what reason 14 tanks were determined as the quantity to be supplied.
Answered by James Heappey
The decision to send a squadron of 14 tanks delivers a coherent and combat effective capability for Ukraine.
The UK has led the world in announcing and then delivering modern battle tanks for Ukraine, unlocking dozens of additional tanks from international partners in so doing.
The UK will continue to be agile in our support to Ukraine as the conflict evolves.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department made when considering the case for sending Challenger 2 Tanks to Ukraine; for what reason 14 tanks were determined as the quantity to be supplied; and whether he is planning to send further tanks at a future date.
Answered by James Heappey
Sending Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine represents a step change in our support as a calibrated response to Russia's indiscriminate violence against civilians in Ukraine. The provision of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks is a very significant contribution from the UK which has made possible the gifting of dozens of tanks from other Western nations. The UK continues to be the leading European donor of equipment to Ukraine and we keep all options for additional future support under review.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
What recent assessment she has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the UK’s ability to tackle (a) hybrid and (b) cyber-enabled threats.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The Government takes hybrid and cyber threats very seriously, and we are strengthening the UK’s defences against increasingly sophisticated attacks. This includes assessing how we will tackle these threats once we have left the EU.
The security partnership agreed between the UK and the EU sets out the broadest and most comprehensive agreement between the EU and a third country.