Syria vote: MPs to decide whether to bomb IS targets
MPs will decide later whether to back UK air strikes in
Syria against militants from so-called Islamic State.
A 10-hour House of Commons debate will culminate in a
vote on whether the UK should join the US, France, Russia
and others bombing targets in Raqqa, the group's
stronghold, and other areas.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron says IS is a threat to
Britain's security.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn opposes bombing but has
given MPs a free vote amid divisions within his own ranks.
With up to 50 Labour MPs likely to back the government,
and both the Democratic Unionist Party and the Liberal
Democrats also giving their backing, Mr Cameron is
expected to win parliamentary approval for the UK to
intervene militarily in the four-year conflict in Syria.
The latest on the Syria vote
Syria air strikes: What you need to know
Are there 70,000 Syrian 'moderates' ready to back UK?
Where the UK's parties stand on air strikes
'Contemptible slur'
The prime minister caused controversy on the eve of the
vote by urging Tory MPs not to "sit on their hands" or "walk
through the lobbies" with Mr Corbyn and others he
described as "a bunch of terrorist sympathisers".
Addressing a meeting of the 1922 Conservative backbench
committee, Mr Cameron warned that if Tory MPs voted
against strikes they risked undermining a strong message
that the UK was standing alongside its allies already engaged
in military action.
The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the
comments were a departure from the "carefully crafted"
language that Mr Cameron has used on Syria over the past
week.
They come amid reports that Downing Street - which has
been trying to court Labour MPs - was keen to carry the vote
through a combination of its own MPs and the party's
"natural allies", such as the DUP.
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said they were a "contemptible
slur" and showed the prime minister was losing the
argument.
The UK is already providing intelligence, surveillance and
other logistical support to countries fighting Islamic State -
also known as Isil or Daesh - in Syria and the RAF has carried
out thousands of raids on IS targets in Iraq since Parliament
approved similar action there last year.
While the vast majority of Conservative MPs support the
extension of airstrikes to Syria, the prime minister is likely to
face tough questions about their scope, likely impact and
how they fit into the "broader" political and diplomatic
strategy the UK has promised to pursue to help stabilise and
rebuild Syria.
In particular, Mr Cameron has been asked to explain his
claim there are 70,000 moderate ground forces able to fight
IS in Syria.
Labour turmoil
The run-up to Wednesday's vote, which comes less than
three weeks after 130 people were killed in a series of terror
attacks in Paris, has been marked by a week of turmoil
within Labour.
While Mr Corbyn has the support of the majority of his MPs,
up to half of his shadow cabinet may vote in favour of
bombing, including Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn
and Deputy Leader Tom Watson.
The Labour leader has urged those who take a different view
to him to "think again", arguing that they must take account
of public opinion and that 75% of Labour members polled
by the party indicated they were opposed to air strikes.
BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said 110 MPs of
all parties had signed their support for a motion opposing
the government plans for airstrikes. Its backers believe they
have a strong chance of forcing a vote on the motion, she
added.
Wednesday's normal parliamentary schedule, including
prime minister's questions, has been scrapped to
accommodate a whole day's debate on Syria, beginning at
11:30 GMT. A vote is expected some time around 22:00 GMT.
The government motion to be voted on would authorise air
strikes "exclusively" against IS in Syria. It says military action
is "only one component of a broader strategy" to tackle IS
and the UK government would not deploy troops in "ground
combat operations"
Syria against militants from so-called Islamic State.
A 10-hour House of Commons debate will culminate in a
vote on whether the UK should join the US, France, Russia
and others bombing targets in Raqqa, the group's
stronghold, and other areas.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron says IS is a threat to
Britain's security.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn opposes bombing but has
given MPs a free vote amid divisions within his own ranks.
With up to 50 Labour MPs likely to back the government,
and both the Democratic Unionist Party and the Liberal
Democrats also giving their backing, Mr Cameron is
expected to win parliamentary approval for the UK to
intervene militarily in the four-year conflict in Syria.
The latest on the Syria vote
Syria air strikes: What you need to know
Are there 70,000 Syrian 'moderates' ready to back UK?
Where the UK's parties stand on air strikes
'Contemptible slur'
The prime minister caused controversy on the eve of the
vote by urging Tory MPs not to "sit on their hands" or "walk
through the lobbies" with Mr Corbyn and others he
described as "a bunch of terrorist sympathisers".
Addressing a meeting of the 1922 Conservative backbench
committee, Mr Cameron warned that if Tory MPs voted
against strikes they risked undermining a strong message
that the UK was standing alongside its allies already engaged
in military action.
The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the
comments were a departure from the "carefully crafted"
language that Mr Cameron has used on Syria over the past
week.
They come amid reports that Downing Street - which has
been trying to court Labour MPs - was keen to carry the vote
through a combination of its own MPs and the party's
"natural allies", such as the DUP.
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said they were a "contemptible
slur" and showed the prime minister was losing the
argument.
The UK is already providing intelligence, surveillance and
other logistical support to countries fighting Islamic State -
also known as Isil or Daesh - in Syria and the RAF has carried
out thousands of raids on IS targets in Iraq since Parliament
approved similar action there last year.
While the vast majority of Conservative MPs support the
extension of airstrikes to Syria, the prime minister is likely to
face tough questions about their scope, likely impact and
how they fit into the "broader" political and diplomatic
strategy the UK has promised to pursue to help stabilise and
rebuild Syria.
In particular, Mr Cameron has been asked to explain his
claim there are 70,000 moderate ground forces able to fight
IS in Syria.
Labour turmoil
The run-up to Wednesday's vote, which comes less than
three weeks after 130 people were killed in a series of terror
attacks in Paris, has been marked by a week of turmoil
within Labour.
While Mr Corbyn has the support of the majority of his MPs,
up to half of his shadow cabinet may vote in favour of
bombing, including Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn
and Deputy Leader Tom Watson.
The Labour leader has urged those who take a different view
to him to "think again", arguing that they must take account
of public opinion and that 75% of Labour members polled
by the party indicated they were opposed to air strikes.
BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said 110 MPs of
all parties had signed their support for a motion opposing
the government plans for airstrikes. Its backers believe they
have a strong chance of forcing a vote on the motion, she
added.
Wednesday's normal parliamentary schedule, including
prime minister's questions, has been scrapped to
accommodate a whole day's debate on Syria, beginning at
11:30 GMT. A vote is expected some time around 22:00 GMT.
The government motion to be voted on would authorise air
strikes "exclusively" against IS in Syria. It says military action
is "only one component of a broader strategy" to tackle IS
and the UK government would not deploy troops in "ground
combat operations"
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