mushroom said:
I thought there was a vote every so often, part of the Bill of Rights.
The bill of rights only requires the sovereign to call parliament every year afaik.
There is no requirement in law for us to have a standing army (afaik) however parliament governs in the name of the people and it has been determined down through the centuries that certain things are needed to 'keep the monarch's peace'. One of these is a police force and the other is a military.
In esssence parliament could decide we don't need an army and that could be presented as a bill. It requires to be passed through both houses and approved by the monarch. Before such a contentious bill could be introduced however the author would need to be sure of popular support and I don't believe such a situation has ever existed in England, Great Britain or the UK although the milita was disbanded as 'no longer required' in 1907 and the rights of the nobility to raise armies was abolished (except in certain circumstances).
It is still the right of every citizen (note 'citizen', not 'subject') to 'bear arms for defence' under the Bill of Rights but subsequent laws have diminished that right.