Britain set to back Syria air strikes

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair (L) stands behind Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, as Prime Minister David Cameron stands in front of former Prime Minister John Major at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in central London, November 8, 2015. “During this period of heightened threat, the U.S. Embassy strongly urges U.S. citizens to exercise extreme caution if moving around the city”, the embassy said in the release.

In a further blow to Cameron’s case, it was also reported by The Daily Mail, though not confirmed by the military, that Britain has only 10 Brimstone missiles – hardware that Cameron referred to as part of the UK’s “unique capabilities” in his House of Commons statement on Syria last week. The Turkish resort town of Antalya is “like a second home” to many Russian holidaymakers, he said.

Prime Minister David Cameron says Parliament will hold a debate Wednesday on whether Britain should launch airstrikes against militants in Syria.

He warned: “While many colleagues agree with the compelling moral and legal case for action, a large section of Labour MPs remain unconvinced about two areas in particular and would welcome more clarity on these issues”.

Cameron said he will hold a vote but only if he has obvious and clear support from the House of Commons because if the vote failed, it would give ISIS a propaganda victory.

Labour has made no official announcement on its position.

A two-hour meeting of the shadow cabinet heard that as many as 43% of Labour MPs – amounting to nearly 100 – back airstrikes.

Mr Corbyn opposes the bombing in Syria but several of his shadow cabinet team are set to back the strikes and there were warnings of resignations if he had forced them to vote according to his views.

Senior members of the shadow cabinet, including Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn and Deputy Leader Tom Watson, support the strikes. Amid calls for sanctions against Turkey, Putin yesterday said “we have every reason to believe” that the plane was shot down to protect what he described as Turkish profiteering from illegal imports of oil produced by Islamic State rebels in Syria.

But Dame Margaret said she was “incensed” by the way the bombing debate became about Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of Labour and not the proposed attacks. The party said it conducted an emailed poll over whether its members were “for” or “against” the bombing in Syria and it said 75% were against military action.

Responding to those calls, Mr Cameron – who was speaking in Downing Street shortly after returning from the Paris climate summit – said there would a “very long and full” debate.

Members of Labour’s shadow cabinet also agreed to “call for David Cameron to step back from the rush to war”, the party said in a statement.

On Monday, Corbyn wrote to the prime minister, asking for a two-day debate on any proposal the government might bring forward.