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Ahead of Wednesday’s vote on whether or not the United Kingdom should join the United States and France in bombing the Islamic State group in Syria, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn made a plea against it on national radio.
“We are not going to bomb our way to democracy," Corbyn told BBC radio show host Jeremy Vine, calling on lawmakers across the political spectrum to join him in opposing the move.
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Earlier today I was interviewed on the BBC's @theJeremyVine show about Britain extending bombing from Iraq to Syria https://t.co/l3GF5ta5XQ
— Jeremy Corbyn MP (@jeremycorbyn)
December 1, 2015
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Reiterating that the U.K. should not repeat previous mistakes in Libya and Iraq, he emphasized the gravity of the vote and called instead for a humanitarian process:
"Tomorrow parliament must make a decision, are we going to go to war again, or are we going to instead put all our efforts—really all our efforts—into a peace process, a political process, a rebuilding process, a humanitarian process.”
Prime Minister David Cameron is likely to win Wednesday’s vote and take the United Kingdom back to war. BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said it looked as though Cameron will secure a "fairly commanding majority," given that fewer than 10 of the 331 Conservative parliamentarians will likely rebel and that at least 50 of the 231 Labour lawmakers will likely support airstrikes.
What the lawmakers are voting on:
Govt motion on Syria for tomorrow's debate pic.twitter.com/GNSjlz1Jol
— norman smith (@BBCNormanS)
December 1, 2015
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Conservative rebels say Cameron is making a mistake. John Baron told the BBC that Cameron’s 36-page plan was not a comprehensive long-term strategy. "We should learn from our previous errors," the parliamentarian said Tuesday.
While Corbyn, who took over the post of Labour Party leader in September, has the overwhelming support of party members, has faced an uphill struggle getting Labour lawmakers to back him.
Many of those who oppose him and wish to join the bombing campaign feel Corbyn is taking the party away from the center-left leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to a harder left-wing stance. Corbyn says the 60 percent mandate with which he was elected to head up the party proves people are tired of centrist policies.
The majority right-wing British press portrays Labour under Corbyn as intensely divided, with the latest in-fighting over whether or not the leader will “whip” his party to vote against the war, as is usual in important votes. Corbyn announced he would allow Labour lawmakers to vote according to their conscience.
This morning I was on #Marr Show, discussing my position on Britain extending bombing from Iraq to Syria. https://t.co/CM17bTaATa
— Jeremy Corbyn MP (@jeremycorbyn)
November 29, 2015
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