Cameron is eager to avoid a repeat of 2013, when he lost a parliamentary vote on air strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. Despite now seeking to bomb a different party to Syria’s civil war, Cameron has since shied away from promising another parliamenty vote until he could be certain of winning.
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The Prime Minister told MPs “we should be acting now” to take the fight to the terror group in Syria.
Maria Eagle, the shadow defence secretary, Monday said it was not “inconceivable” that Corbyn, a lifelong pacifist, could vote against military action in Syria.
Mr Cameron has said repeatedly he needs a majority in the House of Commons to authorise the raids carried out by RAF Tornadoes alongside the USA and France.
The SDSR announced Monday has been planned for months but its emphasis on intelligence, counter-terrorism, cyber defence and surveillance spoke volumes about the growing to threat European nations like Britain from groups like IS.
During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Mr Cameron said he was “not for one minute” arguing that air strikes alone would deal with IS.
Writing in the Telegraph newspaper on Monday, the British leader also said the government would invest in new surveillance drones and make a joint investment with France in developing unmanned combat air vehicles.
He will warn of the threat posed by the militant group to the United Kingdom and say the country should not “sub-contract its security” to others.
“They have already taken the lives of British hostages and inspired the worst terrorist attack against British people since 7/7 on the beaches of Tunisia”.
“That is why I have always been clear that defeating Isil, in Iraq but even more so in Syria, requires action on two fronts – military and political”. We can’t wait for a political transition, we have to hit these terrorists in their heartlands right now and we must not shirk our responsibility for security or hand it to others.
In the Commons, Mr Cameron confirmed he would set out his comprehensive strategy on Thursday; members of the Foreign Affairs Committee are returning from a fact-finding mission to Iran a day early so they can attend the PM’s statement.
Speaking at the Kremlin on Thursday, Putin complained that he has not received an apology from Turkey nor an offer “to make up for the damages”.
Mr Cameron is despertately trying to persuade MPs that Britain should extend its airstrikes, now constrained to Iraq, into Syria.
A Times/YouGov opinion poll published last week found that 58 percent of people would approve of Britain joining airstrikes in Syria, compared to 22 percent against.
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The White House said the two leaders will discuss “further cooperation” as part of the U.S.-led coalition that has been conducting airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria for more than a year.
