Military Conflicts: International Law

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar Excerpts

Tuesday 7th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (Con)]

My Lords, like noble and learned Lord the Attorney-General, I want to take a moment to pay brief tribute to the late Lord Mackay of Clashfern. He was a great Conservative, a great lawyer, a great Lord Chancellor, and also a man of profound Christian faith, who lived out the words of scripture:

“He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God”.


Does the Attorney-General agree that international law cannot remain static when the nature of warfare is changing so rapidly? The law on self-defence and, in particular, what constitutes an imminent threat, was developed in a very different and earlier age. In the age we live in, of nuclear weapons, cyber attacks, autonomous systems and long-range precision strikes, what progress is being made with our NATO allies towards a common understanding of how those legal principles are to be applied in modern military conflict?

[Lord Hermer (Lab)]

I entirely agree with the noble Lord that international law has never stood still; it evolves to face the challenges of each era. We continue, both as lawyers and in government, working with our opposite numbers, to discuss the prescient issues of the day, including what amounts to an imminent threat. We continue to have those discussions at both a political and an official level, day in, day out.