Should military action require parliamentary approval?

The UK’s recent air strikes on the Houthis in Yemen have renewed discussion about parliament’s role in approving military action. The government is not constitutionally required to consult parliament on military deployments, and can choose whether and when to seek MPs’ approval. So what is parliament’s current role? Should this be changed, as some opposition parties have suggested? If so, what are some of the possibilities and challenges?

In this webinar, an expert panel discuss parliament’s current role, and whether reform is desirable or feasible.

Speakers:

David Lidington – Chair of the Royal United Services Institute, former Conservative MP for Aylesbury, and former Minister for the Cabinet Office, Lord Chancellor, and Leader of the House of Commons

Dr Veronika Fikfak – Associate Professor in International Law, University College London

Dr James Strong – Senior Lecturer in British Politics and Foreign Policy, Queen Mary University of London

Chair: Lisa James – Research Fellow, Constitution Unit

Diagram of parliamentary war convention

Useful reading:

• How might Keir Starmer codify his Prevention of Military Intervention Act? by Robert Hazell
• Parliament’s Secret War by Veronika Fikfak and Hayley J. Hooper
• The war powers of the British parliament: What has been established, and what remains unclear? by James Strong

Links

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved

Blog: https://constitution-unit.com/