Unmanned planes or "drones" are already used in the UK for surveillance work.

"Test flights have begun to see whether unmanned aircraft could someday be of widespread use in British airspace.

The BAE Systems Jetstream, which will be manned during the test phase, could potentially conduct search missions and investigate weather systems."

From:
[link to www.bbc.co.uk]

Chris Cole, from the Drone Wars UK website, which follows the use of armed drones, told the BBC: "There is no parliamentary or public consultation in the UK on this and I believe there is a huge amount of public scepticism.