PM ‘should give war-making powers to parliament’
Parliament should decide if Britain is to go to war abroad, not the prime minister, a committee of peers says today.
The Lords constitutional committee says the tradition that puts the royal power to make war in the hands of the prime minister is “outdated” and must be reformed.
MPs were given a vote about military action in Iraq in 2003, and today’s report says this set a precedent, noting that there was now cross-party support for a change.
“In this day and age, the use of the royal prerogative to order military action abroad is an anachronism. It should not form the basis for legitimate war-making in a parliamentary democracy in the 21st century,” said committee chairman Lord Holme.
“In the days when the royal prerogative was, literally, at the monarch’s disposal, parliament controlled the money, so could keep military adventures in check. In the modern era, government controls both the money and the troops.”
The committee does not recommend a change in the law, along the lines of the private members’ bills presented by Clare Short, Neil Gerrard, Tony Benn and Lord Lester in recent years, saying this would be too complicated.
But it proposes a new convention whereby parliament, and primarily the House of Commons, would decide on military deployments overseas.
Critics of the plans have argued that the prime minister must be able to take decisions immediately – a parliamentary debate could cause a delay that may have major repercussions in the field.
But the committee says if military action was required immediately, it could go ahead but parliament would have to hold a vote at the earliest possible opportunity. It also notes that parliament would not be involved in day-to-day military decision-making.
Tony Blair has argued that any change to war-making power is unnecessary, but today’s report notes the increasing level of cross-party support for reform.
In January, chancellor Gordon Brown said “a case now exists for a further restriction of executive power and a detailed consideration of the role of parliament in the declaration of peace and war”.
Conservative leader David Cameron has also stated that “the time has come to look at those [prerogative] powers exercised by ministers.Giving parliament a greater role in the exercise of these powers would be an important and tangible way of making government more accountable”.
And leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw has said: “The parliamentary votes on military action against Iraq not only showed parliament at its best, but also set a clear precedent for the future.”
To read the committee report visit www.publications.parliament.uk
