THE Prime Minister has said he will not wait for a UN resolution before launching air strikes in Syria – despite a Survation poll which found only 15% of the British public would back his action.
Responding to SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson during yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Question time, Cameron said Russia would veto any attempt at a resolution. “Of course, it is always preferable in these circumstances to have the full backing of the UN Security Council, but what matters most of all is that any action we would take would be both legal and help protect our country and our people right here,” he said.
“As I said yesterday, we cannot outsource to a Russian veto the decisions we need to keep our country safe.
“My job, frankly, as Prime Minister is not to read a Survation opinion poll but to do the right thing to keep our country safe.”
Cameron’s spokeswoman indicated that the Prime Minister did not press the case for a UN resolution with Russian president Vladimir Putin when they met in Turkey on Monday.
Their discussions were focused more on the peace talks which took place in Vienna over the weekend and set out a timeframe for moving towards democratic elections in Syria over two years, said the spokeswoman.
A vote on launching air strikes is expected in the Commons before Christmas, if the Tories are confident they have enough votes for it to pass. Defence secretary Michael Fallon is already talking to backbench Labour MPs.
Jeremy Corbyn, who has made clear he is opposed to the current UK airstrikes against Daesh in Iraq, urged Cameron to go after the funding for the terrorist group .
The premier replied: “Yes, go after the money, go after the banks, cut off their supplies. But don’t make that a substitute for the action that is required to beat these people where they are.”
According to the Prime Minister, three Britons have been released from hospital following the Paris attacks and have returned to the UK, and some 15 others are being supported for trauma by the Foreign Office and Red Cross. The PM told MPs: “We will make sure we provide all the support to those injured and traumatised by the events that have happened.”
Paris and Syria dominated PMQs yesterday, and Corbyn, quoting a man called John, pushed Cameron on the treasury’s planned cuts to police funding. Cameron insisted police funding details would be revealed by Chancellor George Osborne in next week’s Spending Review, but also stressed the need for them to have “the appropriate powers”.
He said: “What I have said is that in order to respond to this very severe threat that we face we need focus on counter-terrorism here in the UK, giving our intelligence agencies the laws they need, giving our police the powers they need, and making sure we are vigilant. We need counter-extremism ... but we also need to stop the problems at their source.
We know where much of this problem is coming from.
“It is Isil not just in Iraq, but in Syria.”
Cameron ended the exchanges with a jibe at Corbyn over his position on a police “shoot to kill” policy against terrorists on UK streets.
The Labour leader initially appeared to say he opposed such a policy, but later stated that he supported “proportionate” force to protect the British public.
“Hasn’t it come to something when the leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition thinks the police when confronted by a Kalashnikov-waving terrorist isn’t sure what the reaction should be,” Cameron said.
MP accused of adding unnecessary emotion to debate, as SPF says ‘leave tough decisions to police’
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