Corbyn will try to make MPS hold vote on airstrikes
Labour leader questions legality of PM’S decision to launch attack without the backing of Parliament
JEREMY CORBYN will today try to force a vote in Parliament that would make it difficult for Prime Ministers to take military action without the approval of MPS.
The Labour leader suggested yesterday that all planned use of force should be signed off by the Commons as he announced plans for a “War Powers Act” to ensure governments are accountable “for what they do in our name”.
Mr Corbyn also questioned the legality of Saturday’s raid on the Syrian regime’s reserve of chemical weapons, adding that Mrs May should have respected a convention laid down by the coalition government in 2011.
Labour sources indicated last night that Mr Corbyn will apply to the Speaker for an emergency debate under a parliamentary mechanism called Standing Order No24.
It allows MPS to call for a debate on matters of national importance.
The Prime Minister will also ask for an emergency debate but while her bid will not include a request for a vote, Mr Corbyn is likely to ask for one which could include a call for prime ministers to consult Parliament in future.
Although such votes are not binding, any defeat for the Prime Minister would be humiliating and would make it politically more difficult for her to take military action in future.
Speaking on the BBC’S Andrew Marr Show yesterday, Mr Corbyn said: “There is precedent over previous interventions where Parliament has had a vote and I think we need something more robust, like a War Powers Act, so governments get held to account for what they do in our name.
“Mrs May could have recalled parliament last week or she could have delayed until tomorrow when parliament returns.”
Dismissing the calls out of hand, David Lidington, Mrs May’s deputy, said there were no plans to introduce an act which tied the hands of the Prime Minister during a crisis.
“Governments have to bear in mind the need to be able to act swiftly and flexibly and to protect the safety of our servicemen and women,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn faced a backlash when he appeared to cast doubt on whether Assad was behind last week’s attack, saying “other parties” had also used chlorine gas.
Despite receiving a high-level intelligence briefing on Friday, he said he would await the findings of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which has publicly stated that the Syrian Government has used chemical weapons before.
Mr Corbyn also claimed the Government’s legal basis for the strikes – on humanitarian grounds – was not universally accepted by other nations.
When it was pointed out that the mission had resulted in no casualties, he said “there may be other ones we don’t know about”, adding: “There may be a fallout. But the point is also of the legality of doing it. If we want to get the moral high ground around the world, we have to abide by international law.”
He was openly challenged by a number of Labour MPS following the interview. John Woodcock, MP for Barrow and Furness, described his leader’s stance as “deeply troubling” and former Barnsley MP Michael Dugher accused Mr Corbyn of taking a “dishonest position”.
‘Government should be held to account for what it does in our name’
More than five weeks after the Salisbury attack, the Labour leader said he had yet to see “incontrovertible evidence” that incriminated Putin.
And, when asked what he made of Russian claims that Britain was behind both attacks, Mr Corbyn said it was “a pretty big assertion” and Russia should “back that up or withdraw it”.
Appearing on the show moments later, Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, was left dumbstruck by Mr
‘If we want the moral high ground, we have to abide by international law’
Corbyn’s remarks. “It is extraordinary in view of the weight of evidence to continue to deny the likelihood of Russian involvement,” he said.
“Quite extraordinary and a blindness to reality. A defiant refusal to accept that the Kremlin is responsible.”
He was joined by Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis, who said Mr Corbyn appeared “more worried about upsetting Russia than about preventing use of chemical weapons”.