Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Oral Statement of 1 September on Ukraine, Official Report columns 93-94, whether urgent operational requirements are being considered as part of his review into armed forces readiness levels.

We are committed to ensuring our Armed Forces are appropriately equipped to respond to all challenges. As part of this commitment, urgent operational requirements are considered in our assessments and reviews.

As a matter of longstanding policy we do not publicly comment on the readiness levels of His Majesty’s Armed Forces. This is to safeguard operational security, and that of our Serving people.