David Cameron to order air strikes on ISIS leadership in Syria

Francois Hollande on Friday urged British MPs to back air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria “in solidarity with France”, in a tight vote expected early next week. A day later, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the campaign against IS should move beyond airstrikes to ground troops, through alliances with Arab forces.

Mr Cameron has said he would not bring a vote on military action to the Commons unless he could be certain of a majority to avoid ISIS being gifted a “publicity coup”.

He said: “Obviously there are strong views on both directions”. We will have a further discussion on this.

Cllr Burke, who is a former county councillor and prospective Parliamentary candidate, added that the leadership decision had been made and should be respected. The poll has been criticised as an attempt to use his grassroots powerbase to “bounce” the shadow cabinet into submitting.

Amid continuing Labour division over whether to enter theSyrian arena after the attacks in Paris, Tory ministers are phoning Labour MPs this weekend to shore up support for action.

Corbyn has previously argued for a collective decision from his party on air strikes.

“When he says shambles, I know for example that during the shadow cabinet meeting there were people who were texting and briefing journalists”. I will make up my mind in due course’. “I’m enjoying every moment of it”.

Mr Corbyn also argued the party at Westminster needed to listen to the views of Labour members, whom he has been canvassing in support of his opposition to extending United Kingdom military action.

“Look what will happen if we bomb Raqqa”, he added, claiming there would be huge civilian casualties if the city – a center of operations for ISIL – was hit. The UK is now participating in US-led airstrikes in Iraq.

Cameron said: “I have the highest possible regard for the British Armed Forces”.

Falconer became another senior member of the shadow cabinet to confirm he was minded to support the government’s proposals. “There are some issues like going to war that should be above party politics, and I think we are moving to a situation where hopefully in all parties on issues like this a moral conscience should be above the whip as well”.

Labour leaders are set to meet on Monday, where they are set to decide whether it will be a free vote.

Asked if he personally was ready to resign, Lord Falconer said: “I don’t want to comment on that”.

Jeremy Corbyn is heading for a showdown with his shadow cabinet over his opposition to military action in Syria, as the boss of Britain’s biggest union warned that MPs who continue to show him a lack of respect are writing their political obituaries.

A free vote on air stikes could see Britain go to war against Jeremy Corbyns wishes, and leave Labour without a unified position on a crucial matter of national security.

Corbyn said there would be a decision as a party on opposing airstrikes and he will then decide whether to impose the whip on MPs.

“Some of them may be but some of them are just very, very angry, determined people”.