National Security
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria her Department applies in classifying a country as (a) posing a threat to and (b) constituting an enemy of the United Kingdom; and whether those criteria include (i) hostility to democratic polities, (ii) possession of nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles, (iii) totalitarian domestic repressiveness and (iv) adherence to Marxist-Leninist communist ideology.
Answered by Stephen Doughty
National security is the first duty of any government. The National Security Council ensures that Ministers consider national security in the round and in a strategic way. Robust intelligence analysis of any activity that might undermine our security underpins any judgment about national security threats. Formal assessments draw on multiple sources, taking into consideration a country's capability, intent, behaviours, and impact across a range of national interests. The Government is committed to countering state threat activity to protect our country and secure the national interest.
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