Ministry of Defence written question – answered at on 27 April 2026.
David Reed
Opposition Assistant Whip (Commons)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what evidential threshold must be met before a sanctioned Shadow fleet vessel may be boarded in UK territorial waters.
Alistair Carns
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
We keep maritime activity in UK territorial waters under constant review. 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.
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The shadow cabinet is the name given to the group of senior members from the chief opposition party who would form the cabinet if they were to come to power after a General Election. Each member of the shadow cabinet is allocated responsibility for `shadowing' the work of one of the members of the real cabinet.
The Party Leader assigns specific portfolios according to the ability, seniority and popularity of the shadow cabinet's members.
