Ukip chief quit vow
UKIP’S new leader announced he intends to resign in 12 months as he was installed in the post after an uncontested election.
London MEP Gerard Batten said he will spend the next year trying to restore the party’s fortunes after a tumultuous period.
Mr Batten’s predecessor Henry Bolton was ousted in February over his relationship with controversial model Jo Marney, who sent offensive messages about Meghan Markle. LABOUR would refuse to back any action in Syria unless it had the backing of Russia, Jeremy Corbyn has said as he called for laws to stop the Government acting without the backing of MPs.
Theresa May will go before the Commons today to explain why she ordered British cruise missile attacks on Syria as part of a joint operation with the United States and France.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said “finally the world has said enough is enough” as he defended the “proportionate” action.
But Mr Corbyn called for the introduction of a War Powers Act to stop governments launching military action in most circumstances without the backing of MPs.
Russia has repeatedly used its UN veto to block sanctions and investigations during the bloody civil war in Syria.
Asked if there were any circumstances in which he would back air strikes in Syria, Mr Corbyn said: “I can only countenance involvement in Syria if there is a UN authority behind it.
“If we could get to a process in the UN where you get to a ceasefire, you get to a political solution, you then may well get to a situation where there could be a UN force established to enforce that ceasefire.”
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said taking military action against Bashar Assad’s regime had been the “wrong thing to do”.
She said: “We think that it should be in law that there should be a vote in Parliament before we take military action.
“Not urgent cases. Clearly not when we are under attack or the Prime Minister has been kidnapped, or anything like that.”
But David Lidington, the Prime Minister’s deputy, said there were “no plans” for legislation. The Cabinet minister said he was “not going to rule anything in or rule anything out” about whether the Government would give MPs a vote if fresh action was taken in Syria.
Mr Johnson said: “There is no proposal on the table at the moment for further attacks because so far - thank heavens - the Assad regime has not been so foolish to launch another chemical weapons attack.
“If and when such a thing were to happen then clearly, with allies, we would study what the options were.”
Mrs May insisted the decision to deploy British cruise missiles was “both right and legal”.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has defended his use of the phrase “Mission Accomplished” to describe the missile attack on Syria’s chemical weapons programme.
His choice of words recalled a similar claim associated with President George W Bush following the US-led invasion of Iraq.
President Bush addressed sailors on board a Navy ship in May 2003 alongside a “Mission Accomplished” banner, just weeks before it became apparent that Iraqis had organised an insurgency that tied down US forces for years.