Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of the donation of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine on defence capability; and how this will be reflected in the Integrated Review.
The Government is committed to providing whatever support it can to Ukraine. We are ensuring that the UK and our security interests are protected and supporting our many Allies and Partners, especially Ukraine. Sending Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine represents a step change in our support as a calibrated response to Russia's indiscriminate violence against civilians in Ukraine. There will be no impact on the Challenger 3 programme and the procurement of 148 Challenger 3 for the British Army.
Each day Defence is using lessons learned from ongoing conflicts and events over the last year to adapt its strategic thinking and adapt our approach. Any specific policy changes required related to defence capability will be determined once the update to the Integrated Review and the update to the Defence Command Paper have concluded.