Military Action Against Iraq (Parliamentary Approval) Bill facts for kids

The Military Action Against Iraq (Parliamentary Approval) Bill was a special kind of proposed law. It was introduced in the United Kingdom House of Commons by a politician named Tam Dalyell. This bill aimed to change who decides if the UK goes to war with Iraq.

Before this bill, the power to order military action belonged to the monarch (the Queen), acting on advice from the government. This power is part of what's called the royal prerogative. The bill wanted to give this power to Parliament instead. This meant that Members of Parliament (MPs) would have to vote and agree before any military action against Iraq could happen.

What Was This Important Bill About?

The full name of the bill was "A Bill to require the prior approval, by a simple majority of the House of Commons, of military action by United Kingdom forces against Iraq". This means it wanted a simple "yes" vote from most MPs in the House of Commons before the UK military could act.

A New Idea for War Decisions

This bill was a "private member's bill". This is a type of bill introduced by an individual MP, not by the government. Tam Dalyell introduced it using a special process called the Ten Minute Rule. This rule allows an MP to speak for ten minutes to introduce a new bill. The bill had its first official reading on 26 January 1999.

Who Supported This Bill?

Many well-known politicians supported Tam Dalyell's bill. These included Tony Benn, Harry Cohen, Jeremy Corbyn, George Galloway, Neil Gerrard, Ian Gibson, John McAllion, Alice Mahon, Robert Marshall-Andrews, Dennis Skinner, and Audrey Wise. They believed that Parliament should have the final say on such important decisions as going to war.

Why Did the Bill Not Pass?

The bill was known as Bill 35 during the 1998/1999 parliamentary year. It was first planned for a second reading on 16 April 1999. The second reading is when MPs debate the main ideas of a bill.

The Queen's Role in Lawmaking

However, this bill was trying to change one of the Queen's special powers. Because of this, it needed something called Queen's Consent. This means the Queen had to agree for the bill to even be debated in Parliament. The Queen, following advice from her government, did not give her consent for the bill to be discussed.

What Happened Next?

Since the Queen did not give her consent, the bill could not move forward. Its second reading was first delayed from 16 April to 23 July 1999. But because the Queen still refused to give her consent, the bill could not be debated on 23 July either. Without any further requests to delay it, the bill was automatically dropped. It never got the chance to be properly debated or voted on by Parliament.

Later Events and War Approval

Years later, when military action against Iraq was planned in 2003, the government did ask for Parliament's approval. This happened on 18 March 2003, just one day before the invasion began. However, even though Parliament voted, this did not mean that the Queen's special powers (the royal prerogative) were officially transferred to Parliament. The government simply chose to seek Parliament's support at that time.