Registered File D/Sec(AS) 64/4: UFOs - PQs/PES

This file contains correspondence and internal Ministry of Defence (MOD) documentation from 1996 regarding a series of Parliamentary Questions (PQs) tabled by MP Martin Redmond concerning Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). The primary focus of the file is an incident occurring on the night of 4/5 October 1996, where stationary, multicoloured lights were observed over The Wash by police officers in Skegness and Boston, and by the crew of the tanker MV CONOCOAST. The MOD conducted a detailed investigation into these reports, concluding that the radar returns observed were permanent echoes, most likely caused by the 273ft spire of St Botolph's Church in Boston, known locally as the 'Boston Stump'. The visual sightings of lights were assessed by the Royal Greenwich Observatory and attributed to the planet Venus, which was exceptionally bright at the time. The file also includes background information on other UFO-related inquiries, including the 1980 Rendlesham Forest incident and the 1990 Belgian UFO sightings, reiterating the MOD's long-standing position that it does not investigate UFO reports unless there is evidence of a threat to UK airspace. The documents emphasize that the MOD has no expertise or role in researching extraterrestrial phenomena and that its interest is strictly limited to national security and air defence. The file also documents the administrative handling of these PQs, including the coordination between various MOD branches and the policy regarding the retention and release of UFO-related records under the Public Records Act.