British Prime Minister David Cameron is pushing for parliamentary backing for airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, and British lawmakers are expected to vote on the matter within the next two weeks, British Sky News reported Saturday.
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People’s Momentum, created by Corbyn backers, issued a draft letter for members to send to their MP, saying: “And if you know any other Labour MPs, perhaps you could contact them too to make the case against war”.
Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, said that there is growing “momentum” in support of strikes.
Cameron lost a vote on air strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in 2013 and must persuade some wary members of his Conservative Party and in the opposition Labour Party to back him if he is to win parliament’s support for military action.
Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn, who praised Mr Cameron’s case as “compelling”, made clear he would not be quitting but would stay in post to fight his corner.
Sky’s Senior Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said only four members of the shadow cabinet explicitly backed Mr Corbyn’s stance at a meeting on Thursday, while 15 spoke out against it.
LABOUR MPs yesterday called for Jeremy Corbyn’s resignation as anger grew over his handling of the Syrian airstrikes vote and the deep divisions exposed in the party over the issue.
Nevertheless his intervention complicates Mr Cameron’s calculations as to whether there is now a Commons majority in support of air strikes on Syria.
Shadow minister Jonathan Ainsworth MP said: “Consultation always a good thing”.
But Mr Corbyn raised fears that bombing could trigger “unintended consequences” that would put Britain at more risk of attacks and further destabilise Syria. And he said while ground forces would also be needed, they would not be British.
“So I am writing to consult you on what you think Britain should do”.
However, Mr Corbyn’s shadow cabinet ally Diane Abbott urged the shadow front bench to get behind their leader in any vote. “I am the deputy leader of the Labour Party with a mandate”, he said.
Cameron told MPs the United Kingdom was already a target for IS and could not “outsource our security to allies”.
British politicians are keenly aware of public opinion over whether to launch air strikes on Syria.
Jeremy Corbyn has emailed Labour Party members asking them what their party should do on Syria, as the party splits ahead of the crucial vote on whether to bomb the country. Cameron said if Britain didn’t act after the Paris attacks, friendly nations might well ask, “if not now, when?”
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Cameron told the lower house that Britain should not “wait until an attack takes place here” before acting, adding it was “morally” unacceptable to be “content with outsourcing our security to our allies”. “I think the bigger story here is what the Labour party is going to do”.
