Its leader Jeremy Corbyn has not disguised his pacifist stance, an opinion shared by the thousands of anti-war demonstrators who gathered in central London on Saturday.
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The move by the Labour leader gave Cameron confidence he had the votes to clinch an expansion of the mandate of British forces to hit Islamic State group militants – also known as ISIL – not just in Iraq, but Syria as well.
The Government however says the United Kingdom should not “outsource” security to allies like the U.S. and France, who are already bombing the country.
Today the crux at the heart of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership comes to a head – support among Labour Party members, opposition from many of his own MPs.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who has urged a free vote, reiterated on Monday it was Mr Corbyn’s decision, and said a majority of party members oppose airstrikes.
It would be Mr Corbyn’s decision to go, he said, not for MPs to throw him out.
Diane Abbott said “the party as a whole” is opposed and “looking to Jeremy to show leadership”.
His optimism rests on the view that a section of the Labour Parliamentary Party (LPP) will vote for military intervention this time round. One frontbencher told me that the party could be whipped against but that “collective responsibility could be suspended”.
He wrote: “The thought that some Labour MPs might be prepared to play intra-party politics over an issue such as this will sicken all decent people”.
That makes the view of the opposition Labour Party key to the vote.
Labour MPs Jess Phillips and Liam Byrne both signalled they could vote against airstrikes and called for the vote to be whipped, but criticised Mr Corbyn’s handling of the situation.
“I think it is incredibly important for us not to turn this into a question and debate about the inner workings and mechanisms of a shadow cabinet, which is 30 people sitting round a table in the bubble of Westminster”.
The Independent on Sunday can reveal Mr Corbyn has been consulting Labour MPs to see whether they will back a “proposition” laid in the Commons stating that “the Government has not made its case” for extending air strikes.
The rebellious MPs persuaded Corbyn that MPs were to have a free vote, which means party whips will not be able to influence their decision.
Key to the row is the fact that Corbyn – a political outsider and serial rebel before becoming leader – was elected in September thanks to grassroots left-wing support, but is not widely backed by generally more centrist Labour MPs.
Pressed on the nature of the 70,000-strong moderate force in Syria, Mr Fallon insisted: “We do know who they are and this is an independent joint intelligence committee assessment, it’s not ministers making this figure, it’s their assessment and it’s supported by academics”.
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As one shadow cabinet minister put it last night: “If you have spent your entire life opposing war, is this not your opportunity to finally achieve something by whipping MPs to stop military action?” The UK is now participating in US-led airstrikes in Iraq.
