PM: I will woo the rebel Labour MPs
DOWNING STREET is to mount a charm offensive on Labour MPs to persuade them to back a crunch vote on war against Islamic State – and throw Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership into even greater turmoil.
With David Cameron out of the country over the coming days, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon will meet wavering Labour MPs – and pledge to word the Commons motion specifically to address their concerns.
The motion will make clear explicitly that ground troops will not be deployed as part of the action, and highlight the support of the United Nations.
No10 is now confident it will win the vote, which is expected to be held on Wednesday, by an emphatic margin. British bombing missions over Syria could then start within hours of the motion being passed.
Nearly 100 Labour MPs have indicated to party whips that they intend to back the Government in the vote, while the number of Tories planning to vote against military action is thought to be ‘almost down to single figures’, according to a source.
Mr Cameron, who flies to Brussels tomorrow for a summit on migration and to Paris for a meeting on climate change, is leaving Mr Hammond and Mr Fallon in charge of delivering a big majority in favour of action through a series of one-to-one meetings with Opposition MPs while he is out of the country. Even in the Prime Minister’s absence, all senior Labour MPs who are also members of the Privy Council have been invited to a confidential No10 briefing tomorrow on the strategy.
The motion, being drafted this weekend, will appeal to Labour MPs by ruling out the use of ground troops, highlighting the use of Brimstone missiles to limit casualties and post-conflict British humanitarian support.
Mr Cameron yesterday called on Labour MPs to heed the ‘compelling case’ for war. Speaking at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in Malta, he said: ‘I’m not responsible for what is happening in the Labour Party. All I would say is whatever party it is, listen to the arguments that have been put forward before thinking about voting because I think there is a compelling case that taking military action alongside our allies can help to address the threat from Isil [Islamic State].’
The gulf between Labour’s antiwar clique and the rest of its MPs was highlighted yesterday when Ken Livingstone said that British troops were ‘discredited’. The former London Mayor, co-chairman of Labour’s defence review, said: ‘The bombing won’t defeat them… We can’t put British troops on the ground – they’re discredited after Iraq and Afghanistan.’
His remarks were condemned by Mr Cameron, who said: ‘I have the highest possible regard for the British Armed Forces. The person who, frankly, seems to be letting himself down is Ken Livingstone with the remarks that he makes.’
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