Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the need for having troops on standby to deal with contingencies in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Whilst there have been no formal requests for military support in the event of a no deal Brexit, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has engaged with other Government Departments and local authorities. This engagement, including at Cabinet level, has resulted in the development of a package of 3,500 regular and reserve personnel put on standby to support the implementation of 'no deal' contingency plans. These personnel are in addition to existing MOD plans to respond to incidents in the UK under the Military Aid to the Civil Authorities policy.