Military Conflicts: International Law

Lord Houghton of Richmond Excerpts

Tuesday 7th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hermer (Lab)]

The Prime Minister has already made plain his views about US rhetoric in respect of Greenland, and he has also made plain this Government’s commitment to uphold international law at every turn.

[Lord Houghton of Richmond (CB)]

My Lords, we are in the process of vetting the House on the future of military capability enabled by artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons systems, but human agency will remain the paramount factor in ensuring that these systems conform to the legal and moral constraints of warfare. Those constraints, both international humanitarian law and the laws of armed conflict, are themselves diverging. The pressures and burdens on individuals in the Armed Forces—the agents of the state—will become ever greater and so, therefore, will the need to protect them. Do the Government fully recognise this, and what are they doing about it?

[Lord Hermer (Lab)]

I thank the noble and gallant Lord for his question. AI in the context of the use of armed force and protecting this country is an issue that we are taking enormously seriously. It presents huge opportunities for this nation but also threats. Dealing with many of those threats will require international co-operation. That is why this Government are so committed to working closely with allies to set out appropriate guidelines and, if necessary, conventions, to deal with the threats ahead.