Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of New Zealand on the Carrier Strike Group deployment.

New Zealand is one of the UK's key partners and a valued member of the Five Eyes alliance. The UK Defence Secretary wrote to NZ Defence Minister Peeni Henare late last year, formally inviting New Zealand to operate with the Carrier Strike Group deployment. Subsequent high-level discussions involving the Defence Secretary, Permanent Secretary, Chief of the Defence Staff and senior military officers have continued to explore the details of our engagement, and operational planning is underway.