Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make it his policy to advocate for an international ban on the use of white phosphorus in conflicts.

It is not UK policy to advocate for an international ban on the use of white phosphorous. White phosphorous is an obscurant and may have legitimate military uses, for example in smoke grenades, decoy and countermeasure equipment and signalling flares. However, all parties to an armed conflict must ensure that their conduct and use of weapons complies with International Humanitarian Law.