Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Select Committee session on the Defence Investment Plan on 7 July 2026, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the closure of Reaction Engines.

The publication of the Defence Investment Plan on 30 June this year means that the UK will be equipped with the resources to effectively support and retain critical, transformative technologies that underpin our security and prosperity.

To see any UK company enter administration is deeply disappointing and understandably impacts on its staff. Several technologies have the potential to be exploited to develop hypersonic propulsion systems, not all of them will be chosen to be taken forward.