Tougher rules needed to stop PM going to war without consulting cabinet, say MPs

Committee proposes giving the cabinet secretary the ability to alert parliament

The proposals would allow Sir Jeremy Heywood to inform parliament of the prime minister's decision to go to war (Getty)

The government has been urged to add tougher safeguards to prevent a prime minister "recklessly" taking the country to war.

MPs are proposing that the cabinet secretary - the most senior civil servant in the UK - should be allowed to make parliament aware of the PM's decision to ignore the normal decision-making process.

The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) said that this would tackle a key finding of the Chilcot inquiry into the run-up to the Iraq war regarding lack of cabinet discussion.

It follows calls from Jeremy Corbyn for a war powers act that would stop Theresa May from launching bombing raids without first consulting MPs.

Last month the prime minister launched air strikes against Syria without prior approval from parliament, saying that the action was in the UK's national interest.

The committee's alternative is to allow the cabinet secretary to ask the PM for a written ministerial direction to ignore the normal decision-making process, and then decide whether to make the situation known to parliament.

At present the cabinet secretary's only option is to resign if a prime minister decides to ignore their advice, the MPs said.

The report states: "If the cabinet secretary asks for such a direction, it should be at his or her discretion whether this direction should be made immediately known to parliament, or, in matters relating to national security, notified to nominated independent privy counsellors and released to parliament later.

"Such a mechanism would dispel any doubt about the cabinet secretary's duty to ensure proper decision making."

PACAC chairman Bernard Jenkin said: "In 2002 Tony Blair promised George Bush that 'I will be with you, whatever' committing the UK to war in Iraq without consulting the foreign and defence secretaries, let alone the rest of the cabinet.

"Fifteen years later there are still no safeguards in place within the government to prevent a prime minister acting so recklessly again.

"The present prime minister has assiduously used cabinet and its committees. PACAC also has great confidence in the current cabinet secretary and his commitment to effective decision-making.

"But this is no guarantee for the future. It's therefore a perfect time to introduce such a safeguard, when the system is working well, not to wait for another catastrophic failure.

"Our proposal is modest, and has the support of many former senior civil servants. We expect the government to consider it seriously."

The report also called for the ministerial code to be updated and set out a list of matters that would normally be subject to collective agreement.

Sir Jeremy Heywood has served as cabinet secretary since 2012 (Getty Images)

A government spokesman said: "The government will consider the report and respond in the normal manner.

"Ministers are accountable to parliament and civil servants accountable to ministers. Blurring these lines would risk undermining existing lines of accountability.

"The cabinet secretary supports the prime minister and the cabinet, helping to ensure there is robust system so the most important decisions are taken on a collective basis, ensuring that key interests across government are taken into account."