Title page
Contents
Summary 5
1. Parliament's role under the royal prerogative 8
1.1. The role of Parliament in authorising military action before 2011 9
2. The emergence of a parliamentary convention in March 2011 16
2.1. Did a convention really exist at the time? 16
3. How has the convention evolved and is there clarity on its use? 18
3.1. Military action in Libya in support of UN Security Council resolution 1973 (March 2011) 19
3.2. Support to French military operations in Mali (January 2013) 21
3.3. Military action against the Syrian regime (August 2013) 22
3.4. Operation Shader (Iraq and Syria) 24
Military action against Islamic State in Iraq (September 2014) 24
Extension of military action against Islamic State into Syria (December 2015) 26
3.5. Military strikes against Syrian chemical weapons facilities (April 2018) 28
3.6. Military action in the Red Sea and Yemen (2024) 30
4. The challenges of reform 34
4.1. Previous attempts at reform 34
4.2. Issues to consider 37
A resolution, legislation or neither? 38
Difficulties defining armed conflict 41
Access to intelligence and legal advice 46
Justiciability 49
Constraints on operational effectiveness 51
4.3. Current views on reform 54
Government's current position on codification 54
View of the Opposition 55
Private Members Bill - January 2024 56