Jeremy Corbyn set for shadow cabinet confrontation over Syria IS air strikes

His optimism rests on the view that a section of the Labour Parliamentary Party (LPP) will vote for military intervention this time round.

Jeremy Corbyn is taking to the airwaves to make the case against British air strikes in Syria ahead of a potentially dramatic showdown with his shadow cabinet.

“My own view is I don’t think this very very important issue should be a situation that forces resignations on people”. That would mean that Corbyn could be declared to be in defiance of party policy and possibly face removal, with Watson acting as interim leader.

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jonathan Ashworth posted a website link to the survey on Twitter, saying “consultation always a good thing”.

Cllr Burke, who is a former county councillor and prospective Parliamentary candidate, added that the leadership decision had been made and should be respected.

“Labour MPs need to listen to that voice, need to try and understand where people are coming from on this”.

But the left-wing Labour leader, who is against airstrikes against Islamic State, might force other Labour MPs to vote against the airstrikes even though many (including top ally John McDonnell) want him to offer a free vote. “The result was a very, very clear mandate for me to be leader of the party”.

Mr Corbyn said he had received 70,000 responses to a survey sent out to Labour supporters on Friday seeking their opinions – a move criticised as an attempt to use the party’s grassroots membership to “bounce” the shadow cabinet.

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.

The motion, which will probably be debated later this week, will emphasise that military action will be just one of four courses of action for members to consider. Hove MP Peter Kyle yesterday told the Westminster Hour programme that he had made up his mind and that “the whip is irrelevant to me now”.

Jeremy Corbyn is set to reveal later whether he will order his party to oppose airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria.

He defended his decision to email Labour MPs to make clear his opposition to airstrikes before the shadow cabinet had come to a collective position and suggested his colleagues had briefed the media about their positions in favour of bombing before he made a public declaration against.

Corbyn, a veteran anti-war campaigner, is facing deep divisions in his Labour Party over the vote.

But Labour MPs Jess Phillips, Liam Byrne and Stephen Kinnock, who are not natural allies of Mr Corbyn, all came out against air strikes.

In a defiant interview on Sunday, Mr Corbyn said he alone would take the final decision. And this is what the BBC’s Norman Smith has been reporting this morning.

Asked if Mr Corbyn was disappointed that he had not been able to persuade his party to oppose the bombing campaign, the source said: ” People on both sides of the argument wanted to achieve and hoped to achieve a common view.

On that occasion, Labour did not give its lawmakers a free vote and ordered them to vote against the government.

Some Labour MPs back strikes.

He said that British security forces had foiled seven attacks in the a year ago planned or inspired by ISIL and that airstrikes would not consequently increase the threat to the country from extremists.