The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that it has sought legal advice from the Government Legal Department on the troubled Ajax armoured vehicle programme, following a direct question from Mark Francois MP.
In a written parliamentary answer, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said simply: “I can confirm that legal advice has been sought from the Government Legal Department on Ajax.”
The response came after Francois, the Conservative MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, asked whether ministers had ever turned to the Treasury Solicitor’s Department for legal guidance on the programme.
While brief, the confirmation is notable given the renewed scrutiny surrounding Ajax in recent weeks. The programme has again been paused for Army training after around 30 soldiers reported noise and vibration symptoms during a November exercise, triggering a fresh safety investigation and a new ministerial-led review. Pollard has previously confirmed that all Ajax use for training and exercising has been halted pending the outcome of those investigations, and that an independent review, including external experts such as Malcolm Chalmers, is assessing how effectively earlier recommendations were implemented and whether further action is required on safety.
Alongside safety concerns, MPs have raised questions about workmanship, quality control at General Dynamics’ Merthyr Tydfil facility, medical impacts on crews, and the evidential basis on which Initial Operating Capability was declared earlier this year. Ministers have repeatedly stressed that safety assurances were sought in writing from senior officials before IOC was announced, and that no symptoms reported to date required hospitalisation.
The admission that legal advice has been taken adds another layer to the picture, suggesting that the department is formally examining its position as it navigates the programme’s next steps. However, Pollard’s answer did not set out when advice was sought, what issues it covered, or whether it relates to contractual, safety, or liability matters. With Ajax already subject to multiple reviews, parliamentary pressure continuing from across parties, and further decisions pending on training, acceptance and rollout, the programme remains one of the most closely watched and politically sensitive elements of the Army’s modernisation effort.