Vernon Coaker MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Defence,responding to the Defence Select Committee’s report on ‘UK Armed Forces Personnel and the Legal Framework for Future Operations’, said:

“We share the Defence Select Committee’s concern about the growing number of legal challenges against UK Service personnel and the Ministry of Defence.

"A clear tension exists between the Law of Armed Conflict and Human Rights Law, and we must ensure this does not negatively impact future military operations or the welfare of our Forces and their families. Any resolution must balance the defence of our country with the rights of those Armed Forces personnel who protect it.

"Labour believes the next Strategic Defence and Security Review will have to provide clarity about these issues and we urge the Government to look at these complex legal matters in the months ahead.”

Ends