London protesters oppose UK airstrikes on IS in Syria

Today the crux at the heart of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership comes to a head – support among Labour Party members, opposition from many of his own MPs.

The British Parliament plans to vote over the matter in the coming week, as Prime Minister David Cameron pushes for an expanded military role in the region.

He wrote: “The thought that some Labour MPs might be prepared to play intra-party politics over an issue such as this will sicken all decent people”.

The defiant appearance on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show will have done nothing to ease tensions with his shadow cabinet, where there have been warnings of resignations. “Yet this bombing will not stop terror attacks”.

The minister said it was unsafe not to try to defeat IS with force.

He has said the group poses a threat to Britain’s national security.

Bombing IS targets in Syria would be a “distraction from the political process” to end the civil war, and would lead to civilian casualties.

“Obviously there are strong views on both directions”. We have had long discussions about this at the weekend. “We have shared the information that we had, and Kezia also doesn’t think that the case has been made for air strikes on Syria”.

107,875 responses were received of which 64,771 were confirmed as full individual Labour Party members. However the majority of his shadow cabinet are ready to back the bombing.

“We will be relying on groups in the Free Syrian Army apparently, who are hundreds of miles away, whose main interest is fighting [Syrian leader Bashar] Assad anyway”, Corbyn said. “We will come to a decision as a party”. 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”.

Mr Corbyn has insisted he is “not going anywhere”, despite reports of potential leadership challenges against him from his MPs, telling the BBC he is enjoying “every moment” of his time as leader.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said the government does not yet have enough votes from MPs to back the extension of air strikes into Syria as well as Iraq.

Mr Cameron also spoke on the upcoming parliamentary vote that is expected to see the United Kingdom join other Western nations in carrying out airstrikes against ISIS in Syria.

Corbyn sent a letter to all Labour parliamentarians hours after Prime Minister David Cameron proposed a plan for increased military action against Syria in Parliament Thursday, saying he was not convinced by the prime minister’s case for airstrikes.

“He is speaking because he is the shadow foreign secretary and this is a free vote and the shadow cabinet is embracing that and giving the chance for the alternative position to be put”, said the source.

“The problem that I think Jeremy has got, the problem that the leader of the opposition has, is that he has never abided by the discipline of the leader or of the shadow cabinet”.

Mr Flynn said there were “terrible divisions in the party, a gulf between the leader and the shadow cabinet, between the party and country”.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell argued all party leaders should give their MPs a free vote.

“I think it’s been handled appallingly”.