A newly formed cross-party group chaired by leading barrister Baroness Helena Kennedy KC is urging the UK government to adopt clearer legal responsibilities to prevent genocide and to assess such crimes independently, rather than deferring to international courts.
The Standing Group on Atrocity Crimes, comprising senior politicians, legal experts, and academics, warns that the UK’s current approach is fragmented and inadequate in the face of rising global atrocities.
The group, which insists its formation is not tied to any single crisis such as Gaza or Xinjiang, argues that atrocity crimes are increasing as confidence in international law erodes.
Its goal is to reinforce the UK’s commitment to genocide prevention and human rights law while encouraging a more proactive stance from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), whose current atrocity prevention unit remains underfunded and low-profile.
At present, UK ministers maintain that only international bodies such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or the International Criminal Court (ICC) can determine whether genocide is taking place.
However, internal legal advice seen in recent arms export cases suggests that civil servants have provided assessments behind closed doors — including decisions not to classify Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide in 2023.
In contrast, other countries such as the United States make unilateral determinations, with the State Department recently identifying genocide in Sudan.
The new group believes this legal ambiguity must end. Lady Kennedy condemned the government’s current strategy as “partisan, piecemeal and protracted,” stressing the moral and legal imperative under the Genocide Convention to act “the instant [a state] learns of a serious risk” of genocide and to use “all means reasonably available” to halt it.
There are similar international legal obligations under the UN Convention Against Torture, and discussions are underway at the UN General Assembly to introduce a formal duty to prevent crimes against humanity, making urgent domestic reform all the more timely.
Reviving the Genocide Determination Bill
A key focus of the Standing Group will be the proposed Genocide Determination Bill, first introduced in the House of Lords by crossbench peer Lord David Alton in 2022.
The bill would allow an independent UK parliamentary committee to recommend that a domestic court assess whether a genocide is occurring — bypassing political reluctance from ministers or the Foreign Secretary.
If a UK court finds genocide or a credible risk thereof, the Foreign Secretary would be legally obliged to outline specific actions the government will take, including legal referrals and diplomatic interventions.
This reflects growing concern that relying on international courts — which only act after atrocities have occurred — is too slow and politically expedient. Effective prevention, the group argues, requires early political, legal and economic measures long before mass harm is inflicted.
Broad Political Backing and a Call to Restore International Norms
The group has attracted wide cross-party support, including Lords Alton, Dubs, Arminka Helić, Fiona Hodgson, Baroness Sugg, and MPs Richard Foord, Brendan O’Hara and Blair McDougall.
While the group is mindful of the ongoing debates around Gaza, its members are eager to ensure the initiative is not seen as reactive or isolated to any one region.
Blair McDougall commented: “Eighty years ago, the world built institutions to stop aggression and protect civilians. That system is faltering. Our generation must renew the same resolve as the post-war leaders to prevent atrocity crimes becoming the norm.”
A recent report from Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights echoed these concerns, criticising the UK government’s inconsistent approach to atrocity prevention and international criminal law.
