Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made as to whether the government of the United States' drone strike on 3 January constituted defensive action under international law.

Article 51 of the UN Charter recognises that all States have an inherent right of self-defence. It is for the United States to say how the criteria for self-defence are met. The Government of the United States has now set out its case for self-defence in a letter to the UN Security Council dated 8 January.