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

Protest is a fundamental part of democracy. From thousands attending pro-Palestine marches in London, to farmers driving their tractors into Paris, Berlin, and Cardiff, to Just Stop Oil spraying UCL’s famous portico orange – protests are rarely out of the spotlight.

But what do protests actually achieve? Do they affect political debate and policy outcomes?

A new study sheds light on that, focusing on the impact of climate protests here in the UK on what MPs talk about – both in parliament itself and online.

One of the co-authors of that article is Tom Fleming, Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics, who joins us for this episode.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Barrie, C., Fleming, T. G., and Rowan, S. S. (2023) ‘Does Protest Influence Political Speech? Evidence from UK Climate Protest, 2017-2019’, British Journal of Political Science.

On 1 February a cross-party expert commission, the UK Governance Project, chaired by former Conservative Attorney General Dominic Grieve, published its report. It makes various proposals for improving governance standards in the UK, aimed at restoring high standards of integrity in public office, enhancing the role of parliament, improving working between ministers and the civil service, and protecting democracy. What are the commission’s proposals? How could they be implemented? Could they improve how the UK is governed?

This webinar will discuss the commission’s report with its chair, Dominic Grieve, and Helen MacNamara, another member of the commission, with opportunities for the audience to put questions to its authors.

Speakers:

• Dominic Grieve – chair of the UK Governance Project, former Attorney General for England and Wales, and former Conservative MP for Beaconsfield
• Helen MacNamara – former Deputy Cabinet Secretary and Director General of the Cabinet Office Propriety and Constitution Group

Chair: Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit

Further reading:

Read the commission's report

Read a summary of the report on our blog by Dominic Grieve