British prime minister David Cameron says his government has unanimously agreed on a motion on air strikes against militants in Syria, portraying the ruling party as united on an issue that has split the Labour opposition.
Advertisement
“Let’s not forget what happened in Paris, let’s not forget that 30 British holidaymakers were murdered on a beach in Tunisia, let’s not forget there have been seven foiled terror attacks on this country this year alone”.
Tory and Labour sources both said last night that – after looking a foregone conclusion on Monday night – the result of the vote was tightening.
Downing Street made clear that RAF bombing missions against Isil – also known as Daesh – in Syria are likely to start within days if MPs back military action in a crunch vote this evening.
And his supporters on the left have bombarded MPs with messages imploring them to vote against the war.
But Mr Corbyn insisted “more and more” Labour MPs were becoming sceptical about the proposals, warning: “We are not going to bomb our way to democracy”.
Some 110 MPs from six different parties have already signed up to an amendment seeking to block air strikes.
Britain’s parliament looks set to vote on Wednesday in favour of joining the bombing campaign against the Islamic State militant group in Syria, despite growing doubts among the public and some MPs.
“The motion talks about the necessity of taking military action against IS in Syria and Iraq, but it is part of a broader strategy”, he added.
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said Mr Cameron’s refusal to allow a two-day debate showed his case for war was “falling apart”.
As usual, I will also be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. So this threat is very real.
The PM went on to defend his claim that there were 70,000 moderate opposition fighters on the ground to take territory from IS, saying it was an estimate of the Joint Intelligence Committee, the UK’s senior intelligence body.
Mr Cameron called on MPs to “answer the call from our allies” and take action.
The Prime Minister’s weekly question time has been cancelled as the Commons decks are cleared for the marathon debate.
A ring of steel was erected around the Palace of Westminster from 6am as anti-war demonstrators gathered to protest against the expected decision to approve military action.
But on Friday she was still undecided, saying: “Air strikes alone will not defeat ISIL and I am still to be convinced of the credibility of the Prime Minister’s plan for Syrian ground forces”.
Advertisement
But with support for air strikes headed by shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn and deputy leader Tom Watson – and even leadership loyalist John McDonnell calling for a free vote – Mr Corbyn had no choice but to back down.
