Here’s one for the books — a rogue government who profusely lied about their intentions in their manifesto to get into power; once they gained power they did everything they could to dismantle Britain, they introduced huge punitive taxes deliberately damaging the economy, and many wealthy citizens left the country, they deliberately sabotaged and gave away Britain’s foreign interests and territory, they embraced open borders further increasing the burden on the taxpayer, they increased Britain’s debt to unimaginable levels, they attempted to cripple and destroy Britain’s food security by punishing farmers with grossly high IHT demands, they destroyed Britain’s manufacturing industry, they destroyed the hospitality sector, they actively tried to destroy the armed forces and special forces by cutting off their funding, they endangered Britain’s energy security by deliberately shutting off Britain’s oil and gas industry worth billions in a time of impending war with Russia, they cancelled free speech, they cancelled elections, they cancelled trials with juries, they actively worked with the communist Chinese Party to build a massive spy HQ in London and refused to designate China as a danger to Britain whilst Chinese spies infiltrated the Houses of Parliament etc., etc. This is when a military coup is justified.

In this circumstance, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) itself could be compromised, as it is a government department led by a politician (the Defence Secretary). If the government has gone rogue, the Defence Secretary is likely rogue too. Therefore, order would not come from the political MoD, but from the Armed Forces (the uniformed military) and the Intelligence Services.

In Britain, the Oath of Allegiance is not to the government, Prime Minister or Parliament, instead it is to the standing Monarch, in this case King Charles III.

Promissory Oaths Act 1868 as follows:

I, [full name], do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.

If the Prime Minister is allegedly aiding Britain’s enemies, the Chief of the Defence Staff (the highest-ranking uniformed soldier) would argue that following the PM’s orders constitutes a betrayal of their Oath to the Crown. They would legally justify a coup not as “overthrowing the government,” but as “protecting the Crown from a traitorous advisor.”

In the UK, the Prime Minister technically borrows power from the Monarch via the Royal Prerogative.

In this scenario, MI5/MI6 and the CDS would not storm Downing Street immediately. They would simply go to Buckingham Palace.

The Monarch has the reserve power to dismiss a Prime Minister. This hasn’t happened in centuries, but in an extreme scenario, the King/Queen would sign an order dismissing the government. The last time a UK monarch dismissed a Prime Minister was in 1834, when King William IV dismissed Lord Melbourne’s Whig government, asserting royal prerogative against a reforming administration.

However, If the PM refuses to leave, the Military then enters Downing Street, acting on the direct orders of the Monarch, not as mutineers, but as loyalists enforcing the Monarch’s will.

Conversely, the rogue government could use the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to try to seize complete control and power by declaring a state of emergency by suspending many laws.

The rogue government declares an emergency, perhaps concocting a fake threat (or fake black hole) to seize power. The Military is deployed to the streets to “keep order.” However, once the Military is deployed and in control of key infrastructure, the Generals realise the government is traitorous. They simply refuse to return to barracks, effectively using the government’s own martial law declaration to imprison the government.

The most dramatic setting for this scene is the Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR).

The rogue PM calls a meeting to order a strike or an action that aids the enemy.

The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and the heads of MI5/MI6 are present. Instead of following the order, the CDS places the PM under arrest for High Treason.

They would cite the Manual of Service Law, which dictates that soldiers have a duty to disobey “manifestly illegal orders.” Aiding the enemy is the ultimate illegal order. The military coup would be justified under these circumstances and variables.

British government departments are run by “Permanent Secretaries” (non-political civil servants who stay when governments change) or what is coined as the “Deep State”.

If the Defence Secretary is rogue, the Permanent Secretary of Defence might work with the Generals to lock the politicians out of the communication loop, cutting off their access to the nuclear deterrent or troop movements.

Special Forces (SAS/SBS) would secure the Prime Minister under the guise of “protective custody” due to a “security threat,” only to arrest them.

The Military would then declare an interim government until free and fair elections can be held.