Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment she has made of the ability of HMS Queen Elizabeth to protect UK military interests.

We routinely assess all military capability across Defence to ensure we have the appropriate equipment and capabilities to continue to counter the changing threats we face and to protect UK interests at home and around the globe.

The Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, which will operate with embedded F35B Lightning Strike aircraft and as part of an integrated Task Group, are the largest, most capable and powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK. We look forward to achieving an initial operating capability in December 2020. Their capability will be continuously reviewed throughout their expected service life of up to 50 years.