Britain is not certain to hold a parliamentary vote on taking military action against Islamic State militants in Syria, British Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon said, as it would become “difficult” if opposition Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn orders his MPs to oppose it.
In an interview published in the Sunday Telegraph, Fallon said he hoped MPs from all parties would consider the arguments, with the Labour Party deeply split on the issue.
Corbyn wants his lawmakers to vote against airstrikes. However, many Labour MPs, including some in his top team, are demanding a free vote rather than one in which they are directed to vote against the strikes.
Photo: Bloomberg
With a slender majority, Prime Minister David Cameron wants MPs outside his party to back extending airstrikes to hit the Islamic State group in Syria. Britain has already carried out airstrikes targeting the Islamic State group in Iraq.
Cameron’s drive to win support in parliament has taken on fresh urgency after the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris in which 130 people were killed. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Asked if a vote on action in Syria was certain to go ahead, Fallon said: “No. We are committed to building a consensus, seeing whether there is a majority there.”
It would “certainly make it more difficult” if Corbyn directed his MPs to vote against action in Syria, Fallon added.
Cameron lost a 2013 vote in parliament on carrying out air strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. On that occasion, Labour did not give its lawmakers a free vote and ordered them to vote against the government.
Then-British prime minister Tony Blair’s decision to join the US-led Iraq war in 2003, in which 179 British service personnel were killed, remains contentious in Britain after questions were raised over intelligence that was used to justify the invasion.
Corbyn came under further pressure this weekend to allow his MPs to vote freely on military action after Labour Party Deputy Leader Tom Watson told the Independent he favored a free vote.
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell — who is one of Corbyn’s closest allies — has also backed a free vote.
Most Labour MPs did not support Corbyn’s leadership bid but he was backed by an overwhelming majority of grassroots party members.
An opinion poll released on Friday indicated 48 percent of British voters support extending air trikes to hit Islamic State positions in Syria, with 30 percent opposed.
The poll, conducted by polling firm Survation for the Daily Mirror, also showed 49 percent favored diplomatic and non-military options before committing Britain to anything more than airstrikes.
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