‘WE recommend that the government does not bring to the House a motion seeking the extension of British military action to Syria,’ the Foreign Affairs Committee told Tory PM Cameron yesterday, throwing his war plans into disarray.
It also raised concerns about the legal basis for any UK action. In the summary of the report presented to the government, the committee writes: ‘Legal basis: Questions about the legality of the UK’s earlier interventions in the Middle East have dogged its actions for over a decade, and the UK risks further reputational damage if the legal basis for airstrikes in Syria is not clear.’
Under the heading ‘Conclusion: A coherent strategy?’ the committee states: ‘We believe that there should be no extension of British military action into Syria unless there is a coherent international strategy that has a realistic chance of defeating ISIL and of ending the civil war in Syria. In the absence of such a strategy, taking action to meet the desire to do something is still incoherent.’
The report, in conjunction with the fact that a number of Tory MPs have indicated that they would vote against any proposal to bomb Syria, has sent Cameron reeling. Yesterday Downing Street strongly denied reports that, as a result, Cameron has abandoned plans for a vote altogether.
A vote on extending RAF air strikes into Syria had widely been expected to take place in the autumn. About 20-30 Conservative MPs were expected to rebel against their party in the event of a vote. On that basis, with a slim Paliamentary majority of 12, Cameron would need as many as 40 Labour MPs to vote for bombing Syria to avoid defeat.
Cameron was defeated in a 2013 vote on possible UK military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government by 285-272. Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Crispin Blunt said: ‘By becoming a full combatant in the US-led campaign at this stage, the UK risks needlessly compromising its independent diplomatic ability to support an international political solution to the crisis.’
