Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to call a vote this week on joining the worldwide coalition targeting Islamic State Jihadists, but needs support from some Labour MPs to secure a majority.
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Earlier Labour’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who is opposed to the action, told MPs he would allow a so-called “free vote” – breaking with a tradition for leaders to instruct MPs on how to vote on major decisions, to quell a growing rebellion in his party.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday he would call a one-day debate and vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday over airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria, British media reported Monday. These included “how it would accelerate a negotiated settlement of the Syrian civil war; what ground troops would take territory evacuated by ISIS; military coordination and strategy; the refugee crisis and the imperative to cut off supplies to ISIS”, it said.
Corbyn faced intense pressure from the pro-war faction of his party, with some senior figures threatening to resign if the leader tried to impose opposition to military action on his top team.
Labour’s decision removes one obstacle to British action in Syria but does not guarantee that action will be successful.
LABOUR Party members across Worcester are warning against military action in Syria – saying Jeremy Corbyn is right to be cautious.
But it does nothing to resolve the fact the majority of Labour MPs are lumbered with a leader they neither wanted nor voted for.
Allowing a free vote might look like the tactically wise decision in the short term because it avoids the risk of front-bench resignations, but it puts party management above the responsibilities of opposition and means that the official opposition does not have a united position on the most important issue of the parliament so far.
“As such, we would urge MPs to learn the lessons of the past, and not to vote for extending air strikes over Syria”, he said. But again on Monday evening, he was lambasted by MPs at their parliamentary meeting, not on his principle, but how his political operation has in the last few days tried to persuade MPs to agree with him.
Another Labour lawmaker, Paul Flynn, told the BBC there were “terrible divisions” while a third, Fiona Mactaggart, called Corbyn’s position “unsustainable”. Mr. Cameron said the debate would take place Wednesday.
He said on Twitter: “Why can’t I stop thinking – the stance being taken, in supporting Cameron on Syria, by some in the Parliamentary Labour Party has nothing to do with Syria at all?”
The Labour Party said it had carried out a “consultation” on the issue over the weekend, and that it had received 107,875 responses of which 64,771 were confirmed as full Labour members.
Shortly before the meeting, Labour released analysis of responses to a survey of party members, which appeared to show overwhelming opposition to the extension of military action, with 75% of a sample of 1,900 opposing bombing and just 13% in favour.
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Nevertheless, Mr Cameron – who has always said he would only go back to Parliament if he was sure of winning – clearly now believes that he has the numbers in the bag to offset any Tory rebels still opposed to intervening.
