A House of Commons vote on UK air strikes on Syria could come as early as next Monday, David Cameron indicated to MPs, warning that every day of mulling over the options was a day “we’re not getting to grips with the Islamic State menace”.
The clear signal of intent came as the Prime Minister expressed solidarity with Francois Hollande, laying a red rose alongside the French President at the entrance to the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, where 90 people were murdered in the terror attacks which, overall, claimed 130 lives.
Mr Cameron said it was his “firm conviction” that Britain should be alongside France in striking IS in Syria as well as Iraq.
As well as sharing key intelligence with EU partners, the PM announced that Britain would make RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus available for use by French aircraft.
In the Commons, Mr Cameron confirmed he would set out his comprehensive strategy on Thursday; members of the Foreign Affairs Committee are returning from a fact-finding mission to Iran a day early so they can attend the PM’s statement.
During his address on the defence review, he told MPs that his aim on Syria was to “bring together the biggest possible majority across this House for taking the action that is necessary...I’m not saying that we will solve this problem simply by crossing a line from Iraq into Syria; we’ll solve this problem if we have a political strategy, a diplomatic strategy, a humanitarian strategy”.
Of his strategy, he added: "I don’t want to bounce the House into this. Members of Parliament will be able to take it away, consider it over the weekend, and then we go to having a full day’s debate and proper consideration, and a vote."
But he added: “We shouldn’t take too long over it. Every day that we spend is a day that we’re not getting to grips with the IS menace.”
One senior Cabinet source confidently noted: "The vote is in the bag, so there's no sense hanging around. We need to get on with it."
It is believed as many as 60 Labour MPs, including Shadow Cabinet members, are prepared to vote with the UK Government on supporting extending RAF air strikes from Iraq to Syria.
After a Parliamentary Labour Party meeting last night, John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, said Labour would “wait and see” what the PM’s comprehensive strategy was before deciding how to approach a Commons vote.
However, it is believed that unless Jeremy Corbyn, who is personally opposed to military action, is prepared to see a major rebellion on the Labour benches, then he will have to concede a free vote among his MPs.
Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, has said she is "prepared to listen" to Mr Cameron's case for war but SNP figures have been clear that any military action must have full United Nations backing to make it legal.
During the defence review statement, some Labour MPs signalled they could be willing to support air strikes; among them were Chris Leslie, the former Shadow Chancellor, and Pat McFadden, the Shadow Europe Minister.
Labour veteran Dennis Skinner stressed the need for an exit strategy, telling the PM: “Like many prime ministers before you, you are already talking about a decision that you are going to put before the House to wage war in Syria. Have you got an exit strategy? Nobody else has ever had one."
Mr Cameron insisted he had: "The exit strategy is a government in Syria that represents all of its people.”
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