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  UK to vote today on Syria strikes, PM confident

UK to vote today on Syria strikes, PM confident

REUTERS
Published : Dec 2, 2015, 6:17 am IST
Updated : Dec 2, 2015, 6:17 am IST

Parliament will vote on bombing Syria on Wednesday, Prime Minister David Cameron said, confident he can secure its approval after the Opposition Labour Party allowed its members to vote freely on the

Parliament will vote on bombing Syria on Wednesday, Prime Minister David Cameron said, confident he can secure its approval after the Opposition Labour Party allowed its members to vote freely on the issue.

Mr Cameron believes it is time to join other Western powers in bombing ISIS militants in Syria, saying Britain could not “subcontract” its security to others after the group claimed responsibility for killing 130 people in Paris in November.

By calling the debate this week it was clear the Prime Minister was sure he had won over some sceptical members in his own ruling Conservative Party and others in the Labour Party, which is deeply divided on launching strikes.

Earlier Labour’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who is opposed to the action, told MPs he would allow a so-called “free vote” — breaking with a tradition for leaders to instruct MPs on how to vote on major decisions, to quell a growing rebellion in his party.

“I believe there’s growing support across Parliament for the compelling case there is to answer the call from our allies, to act against ISIL (ISIS) in Syria and in Iraq,” Mr Cameron said in a televised statement.

He said he would recommend the debate and vote take place on Wednesday and denied a request for a two-day debate.

By allowing a free vote, Mr Corbyn, a veteran anti-war campaigner, has handed Mr Cameron the majority he needs to avoid a repeat of a defeat in 2013, when Parliament voted down a motion to launch strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

While many in Labour fear more airstrikes will bring more instability to West Asia, some of the party’s leading members have said they are necessary to ensure Britain’s security.

A Labour source said Mr Corbyn would still argue that Mr Cameron had yet to meet the conditions set out by Labour at its annual conference, including the provision of “clear and unambiguous” UN support for airstrikes.

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