Written question asked by Lord Spellar (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 23 September 2026. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Monday, 21 September 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Defence: Finance

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to reduce and eliminate environmental, social and governance restrictions on access to finance for the UK defence industry.

Answer: As set out in the SDR, DIS and DIP, we are developing the Defence Finance and Investment Strategy (DFIS), which is due to be published in Autumn 2026. The DFIS will address barriers to financing and investment in the sector – including supporting businesses access finance, in partnership with public financial institutions and private capital. To inform the DFIS, we have held working sessions on debanking and on Environmental, Social, and Governance considerations, working with regulators, industry, the financial sector and other Government departments.

Secondary information