MP David Lidington has his say on Syria intervention

He shared his foughts on the escalation of conflict last week on Peston on Sunday.
MP David Lidington has his say on Syria interventionMP David Lidington has his say on Syria intervention
MP David Lidington has his say on Syria intervention

Aylesbury’s local MP has waded into the debate about whether the UK was right to join France and America in deploying missiles in Syria.

It has sparked a huge political row, with many MPs appalled the PM did not seek the backing of Parliament before pressing ahead with military action against the Assad regime.

Sites near Damascus and Homs were hit on Saturday in response to the alleged chemical attack on Douma on 7 April.

Speaking on the Peston show on Sunday, he said: “Five years ago, Russia promised to deliver a complete end to Syria’s chemical weapons capabilities and that has simply not hapenned.

He went on to suggest that the elected Government should be able to have the powers to order military action, adding that Governments were accountable to parliaments, but governments need to be able to act swiftly and effectively.

He added: “There must be a definited need for urgent humanitarian lead to alleviate human suffering.

"You must be clear that you’ve exhausted all the other means. The use of chemical weapons has been outlawed for nearly a century. Let’s not forget that there were families cowering in cellars.”

He went on to say that the UK was seeking to hold Assad to Account at the UN Security Council.

“The only way we could degrade these weapons and to deter people from using these weapons was through very targeted interventions. "

Opposition parties say MPs should have been consulted before the UK joined the US and France in bombing three Syrian sites, in response to a suspected chemical attack on the town of Douma. Labour says its advice suggests the military strikes were not legal.

The Scottish National Party has said it will seek to force a vote on the issue, arguing that Theresa May’s decision to authorise UK participation in air strikes without prior parliamentary approval was a “disgrace”.