Cabinet unites over ‘need to take action’ against Assad
Chemical attack ‘cannot go unchallenged’
CABINET MINISTERS have agreed “on the need to take action” in Syria to “deter the further use of chemical weapons”, Downing Street said last night.
Ministers agreed attack at a Cabinet meeting lasting more than two hours that it was “highly likely” the Assad regime was responsible for a suspected chemical attack.
They agreed that the use of chemical weapons must not “go unchallenged” and sources say the Prime Minister is prepared to take action against the Assad regime without first seeking Parliamentary consent.
But opposition leaders have demanded a parliamentary vote before any new military action.
The Prime Minister summoned her top team to No 10 amid signs she is preparing to join US-led air strikes against Syrian targets after saying “all the indications” were that president Bashar Assad’s regime was responsible for an alleged chemical attack on its own people last weekend. And in a new twist to the unfolding diplomatic drama, US President Donald Trump issued a fresh tweet saying: “Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all!”
Mrs May has said “all the indications” are that the Syrian regime of Assad, which denies mounting a chemical attack, was responsible for the alleged atrocity in the formerly rebel-held town of Douma. During a Cabinet meeting yesterday to discuss the UK response, she described it as “shocking and barbaric” and said it was a “further example of the erosion of international law in relation to the use of chemical weapons, which was deeply concerning to us all”.
Brexit Secretary David Davis said: “It is a very, very delicate circumstance, and we’ve got to make this judgment on a very careful, very deliberate, very well thought-through basis, knowing exactly ... how strong the evidence is.”
Mr Davis suggested he had changed his mind since he voted against Syrian intervention in 2013 when David Cameron was prime minister.
Downing Street earlier would not be drawn on claims that Mrs May was preparing to authorise UK forces to strike against Assad, first seeking a vote in Parliament.
Yesterday, Russian media reported Syrian government forces had seized control of the city at the centre of the escalating tensions, Douma, where the attack is said to have taken place.
Kremlin-backed news agency Tass reported a Moscow official saying that Russian military police will be deployed to the city to maintain law and order.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons had said it intended to send investigators to Douma to look for evidence of a chemical attack.
Mr Trump’s latest intervention came after he previously tweeted that missiles “will be coming”.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders insisted no final decisions had been taken and that “all options are on the table”.
Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkinhad warned they would shoot down US rockets and “even the sources that launched the missiles” – suggesting they could hit American aircraft or warships.
The attack in Douma happened late on Saturday amid a resumed offensive by Syrian government forces after the collapse of a truce with the Army of Islam rebel group. Syrian opposition and rescuers said poison gas was used on the rebel-held town near the capital, an allegation strongly denied by the Assad government.
We’ve got to make this judgment on a very careful basis. David Davis, Brexit Secretary and Yorkshire MP.
OPPOSITION LEADERS have demanded a parliamentary vote before any new military action in Syria as Theresa May called an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss the growing international crisis.
The Prime Minister summoned her top team to No 10 amid signs she is preparing to join US-led air strikes against Syrian targets after saying “all the indications” were that President Bashar Assad’s regime was responsible for an alleged chemical attack on its own people last weekend.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn raised the spectre of the Iraq war as he insisted MPs should have their say.
He said: “Parliament must be consulted on this. Surely the lessons of Iraq, the lessons that came there from the Chilcott Report, are that there’s got to be, there has to be, a proper process of consultation.
“We elect Parliament, we elect members of Parliament. They should have a voice in this. Cabinet on its own should not be making this decision. The dangers of bombing now, which could escalate the conflict beyond belief. Just imagine the scenario if an American missile shoots down a Russian plane or vice versa. Where do we go from there?”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable told the BBC: “Parliament can and should be recalled immediately and a vote held on this issue.
“The position is a very dangerous one because of Russian involvement, also because we have an erratic president of the United States.”
SNP leader at Westminster Ian Blackford told the BBC: “There is no mandate for the Government to take this action.
“And, I would simply say to the Prime Minister: be very careful, because you do not have a majority in Parliament. You are a minority Government, and you need to seek the consent of Parliament before you commit the United Kingdom to any action.”
The Ministry of Defence refused to comment on a report in The Daily Telegraph that Royal Navy submarines had been ordered into range to launch Tomahawk cruise missile strikes as early as last night.
“We don’t comment on submarine movements,” a spokesman said.
The news came as an airline has announced it is stopping flights to Beirut amid safety fears as the prospect of US-led military action grows.
Kuwait Airways said concerns for aircraft in the skies around Lebanon had prompted it to cancel flights to the country’s capital from yesterday.
The carrier said it had received a warning from Cypriot authorities over operations in the area.
The move came after Middle East Airlines, Lebanon’s national airline, said it was rerouting some of its flights “due to the recent security situation between US and Syria”.
On Wednesday, European aviation authorities issued a warning to airlines operating in the Eastern Mediterranean, which includes pilots flying from the UK to Cyprus, of possible military action.
The “rapid alert” told crews that “due consideration needs to be taken” of possible air-toground strikes or cruise missiles into Syria “within the next 72 hours”. The notification from the European Aviation Security Agency (Easa) covers the Eastern Mediterranean/Nicosia flight information region, which includes airspace over Cyprus. Most carriers already avoid Syrian airspace due to previous warnings from aviation regulators in the UK and other countries, but the Easa alert could affect flights in neighbouring regions.
In July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over conflict-torn eastern Ukraine, killing 298 passengers and crew. An investigation found the missile used was taken into Ukraine from Russia, but the latter denied any involvement.
We elect Parliament. They should have a voice in this. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.