Committees

Former Australian Minister and former FCO adviser give evidence to Committee

5 December 2018

The House of Lords Constitution Committee hears from Alexander Downer, former Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and High Commissioner to the UK, and Sir Franklin Berman, KCMG, QC, former legal adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as part of its ongoing inquiry on Parliamentary Scrutiny of Treaties

Witnesses

Wednesday 5 December in Committee Room 1, Palace of Westminster

At 9.40am

  • Alexander Downer, former Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and High Commissioner to the UK

Then at 10.20am

  • Sir Franklin Berman, KCMG, QC, former legal adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Possible questions

  • What are the main lessons the UK Parliament should learn from the scrutiny of international agreements by the Australian Parliament?
  • Should the 'meaningful vote' on the Withdrawal Agreement set a precedent for how major treaties should be approved by Parliament in the future?
  • What scope, if any, should there be for Parliament to be involved in treaties at the opening of treaty negotiations, and during the process of reaching an agreement?
  • What role should the devolved governments and legislatures have in the treaty process after Brexit?

Further information

Image: Parliamentary copyright