British Prime Minister David Cameron presented his case to the House of Commons for British forces to extend air strikes against ISIS into Syria. A vote on the airstrikes will be held next week.
Here are the main points Cameron made:
- Seven of the terrorist plots linked to ISIS were stopped by security forces in the last year
- Britain’s closest allies are the US and France. They want the UK to help.
- Britain shouldn't let other countries act on its behalf.
- British Brimstone missiles are more accurate than US weapons.
- If we don't act now, ISIS will get stronger.
- Britain is a top ISIS target.
- The UN security council resolution authorises military action if countries face armed attack.
- Britain would contribute £1 billion to help reconstruct Syria after ISIS has been defeated.
- Britain has learnt from its mistakes in the Iraq war. This time, it won't dismantle the state or institutions of Syria.
Cameron concluded by saying there will not be a vote for military actions unless a clear majority of MPs are in favour. He also made an impassioned plea for MPs to vote for action:
We do face a fundamental threat to our security. We can't wait for a political transition, we have to hit these terrorists in their heartlands right now and we must not shirk our responsibility for security, or hand it to others.
You can watch his conclusion below via the BBC.
David Cameron says the UK faces "a fundamental threat to our security"https://t.co/pl3hZHYhcQhttps://t.co/O9g1QkknQn
- Will British action make a difference?
- Can ISIS be defeated without putting troops in on the ground?
- Will Cameron rule out putting troops in on the ground?
- Does the UN actually authorise action?
- What is being done stop cut of ISIS' arms supplies?
- Will there be an increased risk of incidents like the shooting down of the Russian jet this week?
- Will the risk of terror attacks in the UK increase?
- Is there a chance that the airstrikes will result in civilian casualties?
Here are Cameron's responses to Corbyn.
- The US and France think British help will make a difference.
- Britain will not put troops on the ground.
- There are already 70,000 moderate Syrian forces on the ground.
- The UN resolution gives legal authority for airstrikes.
- MI5 say the threat from ISIS is as high as it could be already.
- In a year and three months of airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq, there have been no reports of civilian casualties.
The SNP leader in the House of Commons Angus Robertson also responded. Here are his main points.
- Two years ago Cameron wanted to bomb Assad. that would have helped ISIS advance even further.
- Cameron wants MPs to vote for airstrikes without knowing who will control the ground in Syria afterwards
- The SNP will not vote for airstrikes.
Cameron took questions from MPs for almost three hours. He is avoided being adversarial in his responses and kept assuring MPs that he understood their concerns. It's clear that he is desperate to get this vote through.
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