Armed Forces Deployment (Royal Prerogative) Bill [HL]

A Bill to make provision about the approval required for the deployment of Her Majesty's Armed Forces by the Prime Minister in the event of conflict overseas.

Originating House

House of Lords

Parliament last updated

11 June 2014

In Plain English

AI-generated

May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.

This Lords bill would establish a formal approval process for when the Prime Minister deploys Her Majesty's Armed Forces overseas during a conflict. It aims to bring decisions that are currently made under the Royal Prerogative into a statutory framework, requiring Parliamentary involvement before deployment. The bill relates to defence and overseas action.

Key Points

Establishes a statutory framework for authorising overseas military deployments by the Prime Minister.
Shifts some authority away from the Royal Prerogative by requiring parliamentary approval.
Defines who approves and under what conditions, applying to conflict overseas.
Originated in the Lords and is currently at the 2nd Reading stage in the Lords (first reading occurred in 2014).

Progress

Introduced in the Lords with a first reading in June 2014; it is currently at the 2nd Reading stage in the Lords and has not yet progressed to later stages.

Who is affected?

Members of the Armed Forces and their familiesThe Prime Minister and other government ministers (Ministry of Defence)Members of Parliament and Lords (parliamentary oversight)Defence and security agencies and civil service personnelThe general public, particularly communities potentially affected by overseas deployments

Generated 21 February 2026

Bill Stages

1st readingLords

10 Jun 2014

2nd readingLords

Committee stageLords

Report stageLords

3rd readingLords

1st readingCommons

2nd readingCommons

Committee stageCommons

Report stageCommons

3rd readingCommons

Royal Assent

Updates & Documents

News (1)

News - Armed Forces Deployment (Royal Prerogative)

1 Jan 1970

First reading took place on 10 June. This stage is a formality that signals the start of the Bill's journey through the Lords.

Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the Bill - is yet to be scheduled.

Documents (1)

HL Bill 17 2014-15, as introduced

BillLords

11 Jun 2014

Parliamentary Votes (0)

No recorded votes for this bill yet.