Parliament's role in conflict decisions
31 March 2011
The Political and Constitutional Reform Committee will hold an evidence session with legal experts to explore Parliament’s role in decisions to commit forces to armed combat.
- Watch the session live: Parliament's role in conflict decisions
- Political and Constitutional Reform Committee
The session will take place on Thursday 31 March at 10.00am in the Wilson Room, Portcullis House.
Witnesses
At 10.00am
- Dr David Jenkins, University of Copenhagen
- Sebastian Payne, University of Kent
- Professor Nigel White, University of Nottingham
Questions
The Committee will examine the following questions:
- Has a convention now been established requiring the approval of the House of Commons?
- What are the circumstances in which forces could reasonably be committed before a debate and vote in the House of Commons, as happened recently in the case of Libya?
- Is a detailed parliamentary resolution needed to clarify Parliament’s role, as proposed by the last Government, or should the role of Parliament in conflict decisions be enshrined in law, as the current Foreign Secretary has suggested?