Research Briefing
The Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill 2019-2021 was introduced in the House of Commons in March 2020. It was introduced in the House Lords unamended in November 2020. The Lords made a number of amendments and now the Bill is in a period of ping pong. The Commons will consider the latest Lords amendments on 27 April 2021. This paper has been updated accordingly.
Research Briefing
Russia recently announced that its military forces that have been building up in Crimea and on the borders of Ukraine in the last few weeks would be withdrawn by 1 May 2021. Russia said its forces had been deployed on exercise, a justification which has been questioned by many analysts. Whether Russia will fully implement its commitment to withdrawal also remains to be seen.
Debate Pack
A Westminster Hall debate on Land rights for religious minorities including Baha’is in Iran is scheduled for Thursday 22 April from 1.30pm until 3.00pm. The debate will be led by Jim Shannon MP.
Research Briefing
The Government's Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper both placed an emphasis on new and emerging technologies, what have been referred to as "sunrise" capabilities. But will they come at the expense of more traditional warfighting capability?
Research Briefing
This landing page features a new series of Commons Library briefings on the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, and the subsequent Defence Command Paper, which were both published in March 2021.
Research Briefing
This paper provides links to Parliamentary activity on the topic of Global Britain and the Integrated Review. This includes ministerial statements and speeches, debates, select committee reports and Commons and Lords Library briefings.
Research Briefing
This paper briefly examines the UK's nuclear weapons policies, capabilities and programmes. It is one paper in a larger series on the nuclear weapon states.
Research Briefing
One of the dominant headlines of the Government's Integrated Review: Global Britain in a Competitive Age, was the decision to raise the cap on the UK's nuclear stockpile, for the first time since the end of the Cold War.
Research Briefing
The Government published its Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy: Global Britain in a Competitive Age, on 16 March 2021. Billed as the biggest review of the UK's defence and security since the end of the Cold War, it sets out the UK's approach to the expected challenges of the next decade.
Research Briefing
Since the acquisition of the UK's first strategic nuclear deterrent in the 1950s, the cost of procuring and maintaining it, and which Government department should finance it, has always been a matter of much debate.
Research Briefing
In February 2020 the Government confirmed the existence of a replacement warhead programme for its nuclear deterrent. A decision on replacement has been long-awaited, with work on possible options underway since 2006.
Research Briefing
In a vote in July 2016 the House of Commons approved the decision to maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrent beyond the early 2030s. After almost a decade of work on the project, that vote subsequently enabled the programme to move forward into its manufacturing phase, which will see the construction of four new Dreadnought class ballistic missile submarines over the next 15-20 years.
Research Briefing
This briefing describes the main developments, since mid-2013, in long-running disputes over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), including reaction to the January 2021 ruling by the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in a dispute between Mauritius and Maldives over the delimitation of their maritime boundaries.
Research Briefing
This landing page features a new series of Commons Library briefings on the policies, capabilities and programmes of the nuclear weapon states.
Research Briefing
After transition the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) provisions no longer apply to the UK and formal cooperation in these areas does not form part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached at the end of December 2020. Instead, the UK Government envisages a flexible, ad hoc approach that will make use of channels of broader dialogue with the EU. How this will work in practice remains to be seen.
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