Lords Constitution Committee to quiz Jack Straw
Former Foreign Secretary and Lord Chancellor Jack Straw MP will on Wednesday give evidence to the House of Lords Constitution Committee as part of their inquiry into the constitutional arrangements for the use of armed forces.
The Committee will ask Mr Straw about his 2008 proposals when, as Lord Chancellor, he recommended a detailed parliamentary resolution codifying Parliament's role in approving the deployment of troops overseas. The proposals were not implemented. The Committee will also ask about the constitutional process leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, when Mr Straw was Foreign Secretary.
The Committee will also question Mr Straw on a number of related issues, including:
- whether the current Government should seek to formalise Parliament's role in this area;
- the difference between legality and legitimacy in the deployment of armed forces;
- the Government's decision-making process for deploying armed forces, including the role of the cabinet; and
- the role of Parliament in authorising interventions which stop short of “boots on the ground”, such as the supply of weapons to the opposition in Syria.
The evidence session will start at 10.30am on Wednesday 12 June in Committee Room 1 of the House of Lords.
The session will be webcast at www.parliamentlive.tv and is also open to the public. Journalists wishing to attend should go to Parliament's Cromwell Green Entrance and should allow time for security screening.
