Corbyn Set For Showdown Over Syria Airstrikes

Media reported the vote could be held on Wednesday, but Cameron says he will not ask parliament until he can count on its approval, to avoid a repeat of the damaging defeat in 2013 over strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is opposed to the strikes and could whip his MPs into voting against them, despite many in the shadow cabinet expressing support for the government’s plans.

A senior Labour source said Corbyn would argue that Cameron had yet to meet the conditions set out by Labour at its annual conference earlier this year, including the provision of “clear and unambiguous” United Nations support for air strikes.

The immediate point of contention is over “whipping”, the question of whether Corbyn will order the Labour Party’s 231 lawmakers to vote against David Cameron’s plans or whether he will grant his colleagues permission to vote freely.

He said: “I don’t believe that is acceptable”.

The number could rise to 115 as an internal Labour revolt sees a number of party MPs go against its leader, Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to not back the strikes.

Mr Cameron has said he will not hold a vote until he is convinced he can win the backing of MPs to carry out air strikes in Syria as well as Iraq.

Mr Murray said Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale was also opposed to air strikes, but added: “There are wide views on this particular issue – it is an incredibly emotive issue”.

A spokesperson for the PM said “further discussions” will take place today, and any motion put to a vote would be based around four key areas: counter-terrorism, diplomatic and political process, military action against IS and ongoing humanitarian support.

If Corbyn does impose a three-line whip and try to make Labour MPs vote against air strikes, Honeyman predicted that some of his frontbench team could quit.

Asked if there was any chance divisions in the party could force his resignation, Mr Corbyn said: “I’m not going anywhere”.

Former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna told Sky News at the weekend he would defy Mr Corbyn if MPs are ordered to oppose military action.

Now, empowered by a series of game-changing events – like the Paris attacks and a UN Security Council Resolution supporting action against the Islamic State (IS) – Mr. Cameron is confident that he will get cross-party support.

Amid a Labour split on the issue, union boss Len McCluskey has accused Mr Corbyn’s opponents of using the issue as the “thin edge to stage a coup”.

“My view about the membership of the Labour Party, they must have a voice”, he said.

However, in a statement the party said it received more than 100,000 responses.

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. And he believes opinion within the party, including the shadow cabinet, is moving against air strikes. “We have to start acting now to keep our country, our people and indeed others in Europe safe”.

This survey has sparked fury among some, who accuse Corbyn of underhanded tactics by rallying support for his own position instead of waiting for the party to make a collective decision.