LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn announced yesterday that he will give Labour MPs a ‘free vote’ on the crucial issue of whether the UK joins the bombing of Syria.
This completely rejects the position of the majority of Labour Party members and large numbers of the population who are opposed to going to war. The BBC also reported that the Labour Party has stated that it has no longer got an official position against the war on Syria and that the matter is to be debated.
The Tories have stated that they are not prepared to put the vote to parliament unless they are sure they have the majority.
In a letter sent to Cameron yesterday morning, Corbyn called for a two-day debate on the issue. The Stop the War Coalition said they are opposed to Labour MPs having a free vote on bombing Syria.
They said: ‘We note Labour conference policy vote on the matter, passed overwhelmingly only two months ago, and feel that all the conditions on this have not yet been fulfilled. We feel that a free vote, in effect giving Labour MPs permission to ignore this conference policy will detract considerably from its impact.
‘In addition, it is becoming increasingly clear that Cameron will use the decision to call a free vote as a green light to call a vote in parliament as soon as this Wednesday. This would make war much more likely.’