Thousands protest against Syria airstrikes

The socialist president’s comments will be seen as a major appeal to Labour MPs wavering over whether to back action to defeat Islamic State in Syria.

As the wranglings over strikes continues in Westminster, an open letter from Syrians in the United Kingdom said strikes alone were not the answer.

Mr Hollande, who was speaking at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta, said the Paris attacks showed “man is the worst enemy of man”. Nor has he been able to explain what credible and acceptable ground forces could retake and hold territory freed from ISIS control by an intensified air campaign.

Around 4,000 people joined a protest in London yesterday against Britain potentially joining air strikes against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.

Leader Jeremy Corbyn has written to MPs to express his opposition to air strikes – putting him at odds with more than half of his shadow cabinet.

But many MPs are still troubled by the memory of unpopular British interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan under then Labour prime minister Tony Blair. “In these sort of issues of conscience it is better to allow MPs to make their own minds up”, John McDonnell told BBC television, adding Britain must learn lessons from the 2003 Iraq war.

John Spellar, a veteran of Labour’s fight to expel Militant, told Radio 5 Live: “If anyone should resign after this incident, it should be Jeremy Corbyn”.

Asked whether he should stand down, she said: “I think that would be a sensible strategy because I think that the division at the moment is causing real problems”.

He said: “Isil go and kill even the Sunni Muslims who don’t toe in with them”.

Insiders are warning that anger over Mr Corbyn’s behaviour in recent weeks could lead to Ukip winning the seat, a defeat which would lead to an attempt to force the Labour leader to resign.

“I think David Cameron can win the vote with just Conservatives”.

However Mr Watson backed shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn – who was reportedly briefed by intelligence chiefs on the threat from IS – who said there was a “compelling” case for extending RAF airstrikes, now restricted to Iraq, into Syria.

However, Mr Corbyn’s shadow cabinet ally Diane Abbott urged the shadow front bench to get behind their leader in any vote.

“There will be resignations among senior members of the shadow cabinet over this”. “I am the deputy leader of the Labour Party with a mandate”, he said.

Some in Labour believe Mr Cameron already has enough support to gain a majority to strike Isil targets, while at least one Yorkshire Labour MP is attending a Monday morning briefing with the Government to hear more about their plan.

The shadow cabinet will gather again on Monday to try to come to a common position after a stormy meeting failed to reach agreement on how they should respond to David Cameron’s Commons statement setting out the case for attacking IS in its Syrian heartland.