No majority for British airstrikes in Syria against Islamic State

Returning to Downing Street after attending the opening of global climate change talks in Paris, Mr Cameron said there was “growing support” across Parliament to intervene against IS – also referred as Isil, Isis or Daesh – in Syria.

The leader’s decision avoids the threat of shadow cabinet resignations but will make it far easier for David Cameron to achieve the “clear majority” he seeks for air strikes.

Another close all of Mr Corbyn, shadow chancellor John McDonnell, however backs a free vote.

“Any attempt to force Labour’s leader out through a Westminster Palace-coup will be resisted all the way by Unite and, I believe, most party members and affiliated unions”.

Even in the Prime Minister’s absence, all senior Labour MPs who are also members of the Privy Council have been invited to a confidential No 10 briefing tomorrow on the strategy.

The leader of Britain’s opposition Labour party faces a critical dilemma on Monday – allow his MPs a free vote on joining Syria air strikes and weaken his leadership or order them to vote against and risk rebellion.

“I hope you are”, Corbyn said.

“I don’t think violence is the way to solve problems”.

A top official in Britain’s opposition Labour Party said its lawmakers should be allowed a free vote on taking military action against Islamic State in Syria, after reports that some of his colleagues might quit if forced to vote against bombing.

“My view about the membership of the Labour party is they must have a voice, Labour MPs need to listen to that voice, need to try and understand where people are coming from on this, and we’ll come to a decision as a party”.

After a tense shadow cabinet meeting on Thursday, Mr Corbyn – a vice-president of the Stop the War pressure group – made clear he would not support any bombing.

“It hasn’t been awful at all”, said Corbyn. A series of public opinion polls show that more of the public support strikes than oppose them, though Labour members are opposed.

Asked whether the government had got the votes needed to get parliamentary approval for the air strikes, Fallon said: “Not yet, we are working at it and we need to keep working at it because there are lots of questions about this”.

However, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he opposed the strikes but he had not decided whether to give his MPs a free vote.

To help win over waverers, he’ll say that any military action would be part of a wider seven-point plan, including more counter-terrorism measures in the United Kingdom, and further moves to deliver a more representative government in Syria.

Bombing IS targets in Syria would be a “distraction from the political process” to end the civil war, and would lead to civilian casualties, he insisted. “I think that would be wrong in this particular instance because I think people have very strong views one way or another”.

Shadow justice secretary Lord Falconer confirmed there were “significant differences” within the shadow cabinet, where a majority of the team is thought to favour air strikes, and he did not think it would be possible to reach a collective view.

The shadow worldwide development secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s a matter for the leader what the whipping will be, but we are a party of government and a party of government has to have a position on matters of peace and war”.