Question follow-through · 90673
Navy
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he will make it his Department's policy to reinstate the two-power standard as applied to the Royal Navy Fleet.
About this written question
A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.
- Answering body
- Ministry of Defence
- Tabled
- 13 Nov 2025
- Target answer date
- 17 Nov 2025
- Answer
- 21 Nov 2025 · 8 calendar days after tabling
Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.
More questions by this MP on Defence and foreign affairs
- Veterans: Health · 24 Nov 2025
- Ministry of Defence: Procurement · 24 Nov 2025
- Armed Forces: Electronic Warfare · 24 Nov 2025
- Defence: Northern Ireland · 24 Nov 2025
- HMS Lancaster · 9 Dec 2025
Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.
Votes on this topic
- Opposition Day Motion: Defence spending and readiness - Prime Minister's Amendment · 23 Jun 2026
- Opposition day: Defence spending and readiness · 23 Jun 2026
- Armed Forces Bill Report Stage: Amendment 11 · 22 Jun 2026
These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.
Recorded timeline
13 Nov 2025
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he will make it his Department's policy to reinstate the two-power standard as applied to the Royal Navy Fleet.
17 Nov 2025
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
21 Nov 2025
Answer published
The 'two-power standard' was set out by the Naval Defence Act 1889 and dictated that the Royal Navy (RN) should maintain a fleet at least as strong as the next two powerful navies combined. Today our security is underpinned by NATO's collective defence, w...
Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.
Later records
Possible follow-up questions
Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.
Veterans: Health
24 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to support good (a) mental and (b) physical health amongst retired veterans.
Ministry of Defence: Procurement
24 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to streamline his Department’s procurement procedures.
Armed Forces: Electronic Warfare
24 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to improve the electronic warfare capabilities of His Majesty’s Armed Forces.
Defence: Northern Ireland
24 Nov 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to support the defence industry in Northern Ireland.
HMS Lancaster
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when HMS Lancaster will be replaced at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain.
HMS Lancaster
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase Royal Navy presence in the Gulf in the context of HMS Lancaster being decommissioned.
Bahrain: Navy
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding he has allocated to a long term Royal Navy presence at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain.
Bahrain: Type 31 Frigates
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to deploy a Type 31 frigate on permanent station at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain.
Bahrain: Navy
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Royal Navy presence is at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain following the decommissioning of HMS Lancaster.
Navy: Military Bases
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to reduce the number of overseas Royal Navy bases.
Indo-Pacific Region: Defence
7 Jan 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure UK defence commitments in the Indo-Pacific remain robust amid rising tensions between China and Japan.
Caribbean: Defence
8 Jan 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential security implications for British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean following the US’s intervention in Venezuela.