Cameron steps up bid to win political support for Syria bombing

MALTA — Prime Minister David Cameron’s office is drawing up a motion for a vote in the House of Commons as he steps up efforts to win support for extending British air strikes on Islamic State to Syria from Iraq.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon have been calling lawmakers in the opposition Labour Party to urge them to defy their leader Jeremy Corbyn and back attacks on the Islamist extremist organization’s bases in Syria. Some in Mr Cameron’s Conservative Party are also opposed to the move.

“I hope when the choice comes people will indicate that this is the right thing for Britain and we should do it,” Mr Cameron told reporters at the Commonwealth summit in Malta yesterday (Nov 28). “Whatever party it is, look at the arguments, listen to the arguments that have been put forward before thinking about voting on this issue because there is a compelling case that taking military action alongside our allies can help to address the threat.”

Mr Cameron spelled out his rationale for more attacks in a speech and report to parliament on Thursday, telling lawmakers that bombing is needed alongside political attempts to form a new government in Syria. Britain should not allow other nations to do its work for it, he said.

French President Francois Hollande also used a press conference at the summit in Malta on Friday to appeal to his fellow socialists in the U.K. Labour Party to back Cameron’s plan. The details will be explained “in the discussions we will be having with members of parliament right across the House of Commons,” Mr Cameron said.

The motion will include the importance of bombing to counter extremism, the need to have a parallel political process while degrading Islamic State’s weapons and bases and commit to the continued supply of humanitarian support, Mr Cameron’s office said.

The motion will use the UN Security Council Resolution calling on states to take “all necessary measures” to persuade waverers that the action has legal backing. It will also explicitly rule out the use of British troops in Syria.

No date has been set for a vote on bombing, Mr Cameron’s spokeswoman Helen Bower told reporters in Malta. BLOOMBERG