Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeremy Wright and Rehman Chishti

Thursday 16th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)]

10. What the Government’s policy is on which factors to take into account when deciding whether responding to an imminent threat is permitted under international law.

[The Attorney General (Jeremy Wright)]

It is the long-standing position of successive UK Governments that a state may use force in self-defence not only in response to armed attacks but to prevent an armed attack that is imminent. In each exercise of the use of force in self-defence, the UK asks itself questions such as: how certain is it that an attack will come; how soon do we believe an attack could be; what could be the scale of the attack; could this be our last opportunity to take action; and is there anything else we could credibly do to prevent that attack?

[Rehman Chishti]

I thank the Attorney General for that answer. Does he agree with me that there is an important difference between the threats we face now and the threats that have not materialised but that may develop later?