PM seeks Labour backing for bombing campaign in Syria

Three of Labour’s most senior MPs made a rare appearance at the government’s National Security Council on Tuesday as ministers look to secure cross-party support for a potential bombing campaign in Syria.

Harriet Harman, Labour’s interim leader, Vernon Coaker, the shadow defence secretary, and Dan Jarvis, the shadow Foreign Office minister, all attended the government’s top security committee on Tuesday morning.

They were invited in part to help gain Labour’s backing for air strikes against Islamist militants in Syria, which the defence secretary has recently advocated.

Downing Street said on Tuesday afternoon: “This was an opportunity for those around the table to hear from experts their assessment of the situation, the nature of the threat, our response and to put questions to the expert community.”

A spokesman added that the prime minister had recently hardened his attitude to the necessity of strikes. She said: “He has been clear he wants to approach this with consensus. He thinks it is important that people understand the nature of the threat.

“He thinks the biggest threat to our national security comes from Islamist extremism and particularly from Isil [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant].”

Ministers are likely to push for a vote on military action later this year, but only if they can guarantee the support of the Labour party. The prime minister was defeated in 2013 in his attempt to secure support for strikes against the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, since when he has been far more cautious about pushing for military action.

This is the first time Labour MPs have attended the NSC this parliament, but they did attend on occasions in the last parliament.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama has told David Cameron that Britain is the US’s “primary partner on the world stage”, after the prime minister committed to spending 2 per cent of national output on defence for the rest of this parliament.

The two leaders also spoke about the bombing campaigns against Islamist extremists in both Syria and Iraq.

 

 

FT.COM