50 signatures reached
To: British Parliament
Constitutional Amendment
We, the British Public, demand that the UK Constitution be amended for British Prime Minister to seek prior parliamentary approval for each government decision relating to the use of military force abroad except in the presence of a direct and present significant threat to British people.
Why is this important?
There is no legal requirement for the prime minister to consult MPs before taking military action, or even to inform them.
In 2007, shortly after entering No 10, Gordon Brown vowed to limit the Royal Prerogative under which the prime minister can unilaterally declare war. Parliament, Brown proposed, would be guaranteed the right to approve “significant, non-routine” deployments of the armed forces to “the greatest extent possible”. But absorbed by the 2008 financial crisis and the recession that followed, the government abandoned reform.
Under the recent era of international relations and modern warfare catastrophic and irreparable damages to human and other life can be caused on errors of judgement.
The constitutional powers, accordingly, need to be reviewed and renewed.
