May had secret plan to send troops to Syria
Some ministers ‘kept in dark’ over PM’S proposal made after fears pull-out by US would empower Isil
Theresa May considered plans to send a thousand British troops to Syria after Donald Trump said he was pulling out US forces last December. As prime minister, she feared the US president’s announcement, which came before Isil’s caliphate was eradicated, would leave jihadists free to plot more atrocities, including attacks on the UK. She secretly discussed a plan for Britain and France to jointly replace 2,000 US troops on the ground, sharing the burden “50-50”.
THERESA MAY considered plans to send up to 1,000 British troops to Syria after Donald Trump said he was withdrawing US forces last December, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.
Mrs May feared the US president’s shock announcement, which came before Isil’s caliphate was eradicated, would leave jihadists free to plot more atrocities including attacks on the UK.
The then prime minister secretly discussed a proposal for Britain and France to jointly conduct a “like-forlike” replacement of America’s 2,000 troops on the ground at the time, sharing the burden “50-50”.
The deployment would have involved not just SAS fighters but other elite forces such as the Parachute Regiment and Royal Marines.
Planning was so sensitive even some Government ministers with relevant briefs were kept in the dark.
Mrs May eventually decided against the move after doubts over whether the US would provide the air cover and logistical support needed, as well as fears of defeat in the MPS’ vote that was deemed essential.
More than a dozen UK and US officials, both current and former, have spoken to the Telegraph about the frantic few days before Christmas 2018 as existing policy towards Syria was thrown in the air.
“It was properly thought about. It wasn’t just a one-off idea,” one UK source directly involved in the deployment discussions said.
A defence source familiar with the plans said: “The spirit of the move was a like-for-like replacement, ensuring that the overall capability in the area was the same.”
A Government spokesman said: “The UK has always taken the necessary steps to secure Daesh’s [Isil’s] lasting defeat and we continue to do all we can to keep our country safe.”
The fact Mrs May and her closest advisers seriously considered the policy change underscores just how damaging they thought Mr Trump’s Syria withdrawal was for Britain’s interests.
It also reveals that, despite the scars of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, there were figures at the top of the Government less than a year ago open to major new deployments in the Middle East.
The trigger for the urgent discussions came when Mr Trump tweeted on Dec 19 2018 that he would be pulling all US troops out of Syria after “historic victories” against the jihadists.
The news left Whitehall shocked. Despite Mr Trump’s claim of victory, Isil’s caliphate had not yet been ended, with thousands of fighters still holding out in eastern Syria.
UK Government ministers and British Embassy officials in Washington scrambled to express displeasure to US counterparts.
But unknown even to many in her Cabinet, Mrs May was considering more drastic action – a major increase in troops on the ground in Syria.
She is understood to have been especially concerned about the security implications of leaving Isil fighters uncaptured.
“With her home secretary background, she placed significant value on the counter-terrorist operations we were able to mount,” a source familiar with her thinking at the time said.
Discussions remained high-level, working back from key objectives in the region. The point of operational planning was not reached.
The level of engagement with US and French defence figures is unclear and appears to have been limited. US defence sources pushed back on suggestions they were involved in the planning. The Pentagon and the Élysée Palace declined to comment, as did Mrs May.
Only a small circle of advisers and key Cabinet ministers were brought into discussions. Gavin Williamson, then defence secretary, was in the loop and is said to have been supportive.
But ministers such as Ben Wallace, then security minister, and Alistair Burt, then Middle East minister, were kept in the dark.
Two key stumbling blocks emerged. Firstly, for the deployment plan to work, the US would have to fully commit to providing both air cover and logistical support.
Mr Trump’s willingness to blindside allies with unpredictable decisions created doubts. Would the US have Britain and France’s back? UK officials were not sure.
Then there was Parliament. Mrs May had been able to freely deploy a band of
SAS fighters because by convention she did not need parliamentary or Cabinet approval.
But with a surge on the scale being considered, it was felt the precedent set by Tony Blair’s Iraq War vote and David Cameron’s Syria airstrike votes meant MPS would have to get a say.
With Mrs May lacking a Commons majority and already locked in battle over her Brexit plans with MPS, it was felt the chance of a yes vote was slim.
Mrs May eventually decided not to pursue the move after a “few days” of intense consideration. It was a decision not without critics.
“Theresa May had no appetite for engagement [in Syria],” said one minister who served under her. “Her grasp of it, I’m afraid, was not huge.”
Eventually, with the resignation of Jim Mattis, the US defence secretary, and fierce internal pressure, Mr Trump agreed to leave 1,000 troops in place.
When he announced a second shock withdrawal from Syria in October, the plans are understood not to have been seriously considered again. By then, the Isil caliphate was gone and another prime minister was in No10.
‘It was properly thought about. It was not a one-off idea. The proposal was like-for-like replacement’