Committees

International Relations and Defence Committee

Lords Select Committee

The International Relations and Defence Committee is appointed to consider the United Kingdom’s international relations and defence policy

Follow the Committee on X (formerly Twitter) using @LordsIRCom

Image representing the committee

Reports, special reports and government responses

View all reports and responses
1st Report - Ukraine: a wake-up call
Inquiry Implications of the war in Ukraine for UK Defence
Open HTML
Opens in new window
Open PDF
Opens in new window
HL Paper 10
Report
Response to this report
Implications of the war in Ukraine for UK Defence
Open PDF
283KB
Government Response
1st Report - Our friends in the North: UK strategy towards the Arctic
Inquiry The Arctic
Open PDF
4MB
Open HTML
Opens in new window
HL Paper 8
Report
Response to this report
Government Response to the International Relations and Defence Committee’s Report ‘Our friends in the North: UK strategy towards the Arctic’
Open PDF
288KB
Government Response
2nd Report - UNCLOS: the law of the sea in the 21st century
Inquiry UNCLOS: fit for purpose in the 21st century?
Open PDF
1MB
Open HTML
Opens in new window
HL Paper 159
Report
Response to this report
Letter from Lord Goldsmith to the Chair dated 5 May 2023 regarding the International Defence and Relations Committee Report, UNCLOS: the law of the sea in the 21st Century
Open PDF
161KB
Correspondence
Response to this report
Letter from the Chair to Lord Goldsmith, dated 17 May 2023, regarding a follow up to the International Relations and Defence Committee report: UNCLOS : the law of the sea in the 21st century
Open PDF
672KB
Correspondence
Response to this report
Letter from Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park to Baroness Anelay of St Johns extending the government response to the report UNCLOS: the law of the sea in the 21st century dated 17 October 2022
Open PDF
546KB
Correspondence
Response to this report
Letter from Baroness Anelay of St Johns to Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on the government response to the report UNCLOS: the law of the sea in the 21st century dated 19 July 2022
Open PDF
194KB
Correspondence
Response to this report
Goverment response to the UNCLOS: The law of the sea in the 21st century? report
Download Word Document
61KB
Open PDF
277KB
Government Response

Correspondence

View all correspondence
Letter from the Foreign Secretary and the Defence Secretary to the Chair, regarding the Security and Defence Partnership, dated 8 May 2025
Open PDF
170KB
Correspondence
Letter from the Foreign Secretary to the Chair, regarding Israel and the Occupied territories, dated 29 April 2025
Open PDF
3MB
Correspondence
Letter from the Chair to the Prime Minister, regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza and breaches in international humanitarian law, dated 2 April 2025
Open PDF
72KB
Correspondence

Oral evidence transcripts

View all oral evidence transcripts
7 May 2025
Inquiry The UK’s future relationship with the US
Witnesses Sam Lowe (Partner at Flint Global), and L. Daniel Mullaney (Non-resident Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council)
Open PDF
58KB
Open HTML
58KB
Oral Evidence
30 April 2025
Work Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Non-inquiry session)
Witnesses The Rt Hon David Lammy MP (Foreign Secretary at Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office), and Sir Oliver Robbins KCMG CB (Permanent Under-Secretary at Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Open PDF
72KB
Open HTML
72KB
Oral Evidence
12 March 2025
Inquiry The UK’s future relationship with the US
Witnesses Dr Leslie Vinjamuri (Dr Vinjamuri is Professor of International Relations at SOAS University of London and Director, US and the Americas Programme at Chatham House), and Dr Kori Schake (Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defence Policy Studies at American Enterprise Institute)
Open PDF
54KB
Open HTML
54KB
Oral Evidence

Written evidence

View all written evidence
The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) (FRU0038)
Inquiry The UK’s future relationship with the US
Open PDF
21KB
Open HTML
21KB
Greg Swenson (Chairman at Republicans Overseas UK) (FRU0037)
Inquiry The UK’s future relationship with the US
Open PDF
18KB
Open HTML
18KB
Dr Yusra Suedi (Lecturer in International Law at University of Manchester) (FRU0036)
Inquiry The UK’s future relationship with the US
Open PDF
59KB
Open HTML
59KB

Other publications

Government Responses
The Government has undertaken to respond to most committee reports within two months, although there are exceptions to this rule.
16 published
Declarations of interest
Members of the House of Lords must declare relevant interests in committee work.
2 published
Engagement documents
Documents relating to committee engagement activities, such as forums, surveys or ‘roundtable’ events with experts and stakeholders that the committee has chosen to make public.
2 published
Older evidence
Written evidence and oral evidence transcripts transferred from our archive website.
11 published
Other documents
Other documents connected to the committee's work.
7 published

Contact us

  • Email: hlintlrelations@parliament.uk
  • Phone: 020 7219 7412 (committee staff) | 020 7219 8659 (Press Officer)
  • Address: International Relations and Defence Committee, House of Lords, London SW1A 0PW