Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2026 to question 33724 on Russia: Telecommunications cables, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the deployment of uncrewed underwater vehicles to monitor critically important undersea cables in UK waters.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Atlantic Bastion and the Hybrid Navy transformation demonstrate Defence’s commitment, as set out in the Strategic Defence Review and Defence Investment Plan, to strengthen the protection of critical undersea infrastructure and deter hostile activity.
The Defence Investment Plan commits an additional £330 million for critical underwater infrastructure protection capabilities, including enhancements to RFA Proteus.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2026 to question 33724 on Russia: Telecommunications cables, what progress he has made on increasing the testing of uncrewed underwater vehicles to a) protect UK critical national infrastructure and b) deter undersea threats.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Atlantic Bastion and the Hybrid Navy transformation demonstrate Defence’s commitment, as set out in the Strategic Defence Review and Defence Investment Plan, to strengthen the protection of critical undersea infrastructure and deter hostile activity.
The Defence Investment Plan commits an additional £330 million for critical underwater infrastructure protection capabilities, including enhancements to RFA Proteus.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, further to the No10 press release, President Zelenskyy to visit Downing Street as the UK doubles down on support for Ukraine and calls on partners to follow suit, of 13 October 2026, what specific actions will be implemented as part the policy of a maritime services ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 20 May 2026, the Government introduced a maritime services ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG). The ban prohibits the provision of UK maritime transport and related services, including insurance, for Russian LNG exports to and between third countries. Transitional wind-down arrangements conclude on 1 January 2027. This measure will restrict Russia's access to the UK's world-leading maritime services and further constrain its ability to generate revenue from LNG exports.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there is any evidence that Russian hostile actors successfully influenced the results of the 2024 general election.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Electoral Commission affirmed that “the 2024 general election was well-run, in large part due to the professionalism and commitment of electoral administrators.”
As the Prime Minister said in the House of Commons on 14 October 2026, it is important that we are clear-eyed about what happened in the past. There is incontrovertible evidence that outside actors – enemies of this country – have interfered in our democratic processes previously.
In recent years, we have seen an industrial-scale assault by foreign state actors on the information environment in the UK and many of our allies. The Prime Minister has, therefore, said that the Government will begin work on a new National Centre for Information Defence (NCID) – to transform the UK’s capabilities for detecting, attributing and disrupting information attacks from foreign adversaries, to support and defend our democracy and national security.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2026 to Question 759 on Russia: Shipping, whether there has been an increase or decrease in the number of vessels transiting UK waters since his Department's press release entitled Shadow fleet set to be interdicted in UK waters in latest blow to Russia, published on 25th of March 2026.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Royal Navy with the Joint Maritime Security Centre keeps maritime activity in UK waters under constant review. Any enforcement action is considered on a case‑by‑case basis, in accordance with international law and domestic legislation.
We will not provide a running commentary or get into details of our decision-making process as this could compromise our ability to successfully take action against sanctioned ships, only benefitting our adversaries.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with international partners on reports of the mistreatment and torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
The UK condemns Russia's systematic mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war. UN reporting found that more than 96 per cent of released prisoners they interviewed reported torture or ill-treatment. We regularly raise this with international partners, most recently at the Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe (OSCE) Warsaw Human Dimension Conference on 5 October. We continue to call on Russia to meet its obligations under international humanitarian law, and we will keep working with partners to hold Russia to account.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Russian trawlers have been (a) in and (b) near UK waters in each month of the last year.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
JMSC Response - The Joint Maritime Security Centre, in partnership with the Royal Navy, maintains continuous awareness of maritime activity in UK waters. The Government does not routinely disclose details of specific observations or monitoring activity were doing so could prejudice operational security or reveal capabilities to potential adversaries.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to discuss security cooperation with international counterparts on foreign interference and state-sponsored disinformation threats from Russia.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
We are stepping up work with our allies to counter information threats to our national security and that of our partners. This includes security cooperation with our traditional partners in the Euro-Atlantic region and with new partners globally. Most recently, the Government signed a bilateral Defence and Security Treaty with Poland, including a commitment to joint action to disrupt and respond to Russian FIMI and broader hybrid threats. This follows new agreements with partners including France, Germany, and the EU to share best practice, drive collective responses to information operations, and agree areas for future collaboration. We are keen to continue international collaboration efforts to support our collective understanding of the problem and strengthen our ability to tackle Russia's disruptive activity.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with Russian counterparts regarding the protection of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and its protective shelter from further attacks.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
We remain concerned about the situation at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks to nuclear safety from reckless Russian drone strikes, as occurred in February 2025, that caused substantial damage. Notwithstanding the challenges posed by Russia's bombardment of Ukrainian energy facilities, we are working closely with Ukraine and international partners to repair the Chornobyl site - in October the G7 announced a €260 million funding commitment of which the Chancellor and Foreign Secretary announced the UK will contribute £17 million. We want these repairs to be undertaken as quickly and safely as possible, while recognising the challenging environment in which they will take place. We commend Ukraine for enabling access for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) teams to continue to monitor the facility and produce a comprehensive safety assessment.
The UK has a long-standing record of supporting nuclear safety at Chornobyl. The UK was a founding donor to the International Chornobyl Cooperation Account (ICCA) in 2020, when it took over responsibility for safety at the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Our total donations to the ICCA total €8 million, making the UK the third largest individual donor behind Norway and France.
Ensuring the safety of the Chornobyl site is in the interests of all nations, including Russia, and Russia has been a signatory to agreements ensuring its safety and continued international access. The UK continues to call Russia to account on these commitments, including at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in April and IAEA Board of Governors. We will continue to monitor the ongoing situation at Chornobyl, including through our attendance at The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD's) Chornobyl conference in November.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with international partners about securing Russian commitments to not attack the protective infrastructure of nuclear facilities, especially at Chornobyl, in Ukraine.
Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip
We remain concerned about the situation at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks to nuclear safety from reckless Russian drone strikes, as occurred in February 2025, that caused substantial damage. Notwithstanding the challenges posed by Russia's bombardment of Ukrainian energy facilities, we are working closely with Ukraine and international partners to repair the Chornobyl site - in October the G7 announced a €260 million funding commitment of which the Chancellor and Foreign Secretary announced the UK will contribute £17 million. We want these repairs to be undertaken as quickly and safely as possible, while recognising the challenging environment in which they will take place. We commend Ukraine for enabling access for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) teams to continue to monitor the facility and produce a comprehensive safety assessment.
The UK has a long-standing record of supporting nuclear safety at Chornobyl. The UK was a founding donor to the International Chornobyl Cooperation Account (ICCA) in 2020, when it took over responsibility for safety at the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Our total donations to the ICCA total €8 million, making the UK the third largest individual donor behind Norway and France.
Ensuring the safety of the Chornobyl site is in the interests of all nations, including Russia, and Russia has been a signatory to agreements ensuring its safety and continued international access. The UK continues to call Russia to account on these commitments, including at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in April and IAEA Board of Governors. We will continue to monitor the ongoing situation at Chornobyl, including through our attendance at The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD's) Chornobyl conference in November.