UK Commons dumps private bill to limit government war powers News
UK Commons dumps private bill to limit government war powers

[JURIST] A private bill introduced by former Blair cabinet minister Clare Short [official profile] that would have given British lawmakers veto power over the Prime Minister's prerogative to declare war failed to progress Friday after the House of Commons could not muster the 100 votes required for it to progress. The government did not support the bill. Under the proposed legislation, the Prime Minister would make the case for troop deployment before both Houses, who would then authorize war by a simple majority vote. The PM would still be authorized to send troops in urgent situations, but these troops could then be recalled by a simple majority in Parliament. Historically in the United Kingdom, the decision to declare war has been exclusively the domain of PM and the government. In May 2003, Short resigned from the Blair cabinet in protest over the its decision to go to war in Iraq along with the United States. AP has more.