Foreign Affairs
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The International Relations and Defence Committee of the House of Lords scrutinises UK defence and foreign policy, with particular focus on international agreements and strategic partnerships. Operating as a select committee, it regularly takes oral evidence from government officials, policy experts, and international witnesses to examine current challenges. The committee investigates defence capability, intelligence relationships, and the conduct of UK external relations across multiple regions and domains. Recent inquiries have examined US-UK defence ties in the context of Iranian nuclear policy and sanctions, explored implications of US policy towards Venezuela for UK interests, and analysed space cooperation frameworks between the two nations. The committee has also heard from Hudson Institute and German Marshall Fund analysts on the intersection of US national security strategy with British defence priorities, and conducted a dedicated panel inquiry into UK-US intelligence relationship governance. Most recent sessions in mid-2026 continued this examination through further oral evidence gathering on evolving transatlantic security concerns.
19 sessions published in the last 12 months · busiest week: w/c 15 Jun (2 sessions)
Click any cell in the heatmap to see the sessions held that day and the insights extracted from them.
218 insights
22 Jul 2026
The committee scrutinised the state of the multilateral system, with both witnesses arguing it is in crisis: legitimacy is weakening, enforcement is poorer, and existing institutions are too rigid, fragmented and slow to adapt. They urged the UK to stop “flag-waving” and instead build selective coalitions of the willing around areas where it has leverage, especially financial architecture, global health, climate, AI norm-setting and stability. They also stressed that cuts to soft-power tools, aid, diplomacy and enforcement of standards risk reducing UK influence, while public scepticism means globalisation must be redesigned and better explained. On reform, both witnesses said wholesale UN restructuring is unlikely, but the UK should still push for change, support issue-specific coalitions, and improve Whitehall co-ordination and long-term strategy.
15 Jul 2026
The committee scrutinised how the UK should use multilateral institutions amid aid cuts, FCDO restructuring, shifting great-power politics and rising middle-power influence. Witnesses argued the UK still needs multilateralism to advance national interests, but should be far more selective, better resourced and more evidence-driven about which institutions deliver value. Strong themes were the need for better Whitehall coordination, a clearer reform agenda, stronger diplomatic presence on the ground, and tougher choices about underperforming bodies. Witnesses also urged the UK to prioritise peace and security, humanitarian action, climate, trade and economic governance, global health and AI governance, while using the 2027 UN Secretary-General selection and the UK’s 2027 G20 presidency to press for reform and influence.
08 Jul 2026
The committee scrutinised Ambassador John Bolton’s assessment of the US role in multilateralism, especially the UN system, WTO, NATO and emerging Indo-Pacific security architecture. Bolton argued the UN political bodies are largely broken and that the Security Council is usually gridlocked, but he defended some specialised agencies and said the US should stay engaged where institutions are useful. He strongly backed NATO, warned that US disengagement would be catastrophic, and urged higher defence spending across the West. On trade, he supported free trade but rejected compulsory WTO dispute settlement as a sovereignty problem, and urged allies to focus pressure on China rather than trade conflict among themselves. He also rejected the idea that a G2 world is likely, described Trump as aberrational, and said the UK should keep close ties with the US while building wider relationships, including in AUKUS and the Pacific.
01 Jul 2026
The committee scrutinised how non-Western rising powers view the multilateral system, whether China is outcompeting the West in the global South, and what reforms are needed to make international institutions more legitimate and effective. Both witnesses argued that global South states are pragmatic, non-aligned and not seeking to overthrow the system, but do want greater voice, representation and decision-making power. Moazzam Malik stressed that UK influence depends on sustained diplomatic presence, clearer national purpose, deeper expertise and coalition-building, while both witnesses supported cautious engagement with BRICS, regional organisations and reform of institutions such as the UN, World Bank and IMF.
24 Jun 2026
The committee scrutinised China’s role in the multilateral system, focusing on whether it is reforming, reshaping, or partially replacing existing institutions through the UN, WTO, AIIB, BRICS and SCO, and how this affects the UK. Witnesses argued that China is pursuing a sovereignty-centred, development-focused, Global South-oriented strategy, using both existing institutions and parallel formats to build influence, but that it is not trying to create a wholly separate global order. The session also explored UK policy options: witnesses urged the UK to be more strategic, strengthen multilateral engagement, build capacity, and cooperate with China where interests align on climate, technology and global governance while defending rights, standards and security. No formal government commitments were made, but the UK’s current “co-operate, compete, align” approach and the need for a clearer long-term strategy were repeatedly discussed.
17 Jun 2026
The committee scrutinised how the Ministry of Defence’s National Armaments Director Group is implementing the strategic defence review, with repeated focus on the delayed defence investment plan, procurement reform, industrial strategy, innovation, exports, NATO interoperability and supply-chain resilience. Rupert Pearce argued the MOD must move faster, accept more risk intelligently, and use the DIP to give industry 10-year demand signals; he said the group is broadly on track on SDR actions but that the DIP delay is holding back industrial investment and cultural change. Witnesses also said new procurement pathways, UK Defence Innovation, and closer integration with allies, DBT and the City are intended to make defence more agile, more investable and better able to support warfighting readiness by 2030.
16 Jun 2026