Treaty powers must be more than Ponsonby Rule

Andrew Blick (Cambridge, Democratic Audit): I have just obtained a copy of the government consultation document on war powers and treaties. War powers will get all the media attention, so I will talk about treaties here. I am glad the government is dealing with this issue. In many ways it is more important than war powers, since treaties cover every aspect of domestic and international policy as executed by the UK government; and they can be the basis for us entering wars (as they did in 1914, and as in Afghanistan today). I was pleased when, in July, Gordon Brown promised to "put on to a statutory footing Parliament's right to ratify new international treaties." But now it has become clear that all that is intended is to place the convention known as the "Ponsonby Rule" on a statutory basis. In itself the Rule does not guarantee even that a treaty will be debated. If it is, as the consultation paper itself states: "there are no known examples in recent years of a vote being taken following a debate held under the Ponsonby Rule." The government's current intention does not therefore meet the Prime Minister's proposal for Parliament to possess the "right to ratify" treaties. Parliament itself and others outside it should engage with the consultation process to press for something better.