Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office on 14 January (HC22186), whether the Ministerial Code permits Ministers to depart from international law when it is in the UK national interest.

Paragraph 1.6 of the Ministerial Code states that "The Ministerial Code should be read against the background of the overarching duty on ministers to comply with the law, including international law and treaty obligations, and to protect the integrity of public life."

As set out in Chapter 2 of the Ministerial Code, Ministers are personally responsible for deciding how to act and conduct themselves in the light of the Code and for justifying their actions and conduct to Parliament and the public. The Prime Minister is the ultimate judge of the standards of behaviour expected of a minister.