My prime responsibility
My prime responsibility as Member of Parliament for Nuneaton is to play my part in securing the defence of our country and ensuring the personal safety of all of my constituents and people throughout the UK.
It is in the light of this overriding responsibility that I voted to extend air strikes in Syria. Taking the decision to send our RAF pilots into harm’s way is a decision that I did not take lightly.
The Daesh threat immediately facing us
Daesh poses a very direct threat to our country and to our way of life. These people have attacked Ankara, Beirut and, of course, Paris, as well as almost certainly blowing up a Russian plane with 224 people on board. It has already taken the lives of British hostages, and inspired the worst terrorist attack against British people since 7/7, on the beaches of Tunisia.
Crucially, it has repeatedly tried to attack us right here in Britain. In the last 12 months, our police and security services have disrupted no fewer than seven terrorist plots to attack the UK, every one of which was either linked to Daesh or inspired by its propaganda.
The independent Joint Intelligence Committee as well as the head of MI5 tell us that we are already at the very highest level we could be when it comes to threats from Daesh.
I have no doubt that it is in our national interest for action to be taken to stop it—and stopping it means taking action in Syria, because it is in the north east of that desperate country that lies the city of Rakka which is Daesh’s headquarters.
For the United Kingdom not to act is in itself a policy position that will have consequences. As the Prime Minister has said “the jihadists hate us not for what we do, but for who we are and what we stand for”.
Our allies want our help
Members of the international coalition, including President Obama and the socialist President Hollande of France, have asked us to stand with them in joining in air strikes in Syria, as well as those we have already mounted in Iraq. These countries are our closest allies, and they want our help.
Britain’s special defence capabilities
One of the main reasons why our Allies need our help in this way is because of our own special defence capabilities. As the RAF has demonstrated in Iraq our pilots can carry out what is called “dynamic targeting”.
This means that our pilots can strike the most difficult targets at rapid pace and with extraordinary precision, and provide vital battle-winning close air support to local forces on the ground.
Civilian casualties
The Brimstone precision missile system, which enables us to strike accurately, with minimal collateral damage—something that even the Americans do not have. Britain has carried out more than 350 deadly strikes in Iraq since the House of Commons authorised military action a year ago. The Defence Secretary estimates there hasn’t yet been a single civilian casualty because of the precision of these RAF attacks.
Now is the right time to act
Daesh’s attacks have clearly intensified in recent weeks persuading the Government that now is the right time for us to join with our coalition partners in helping to degrade Daesh in Syria and particularly its headquarters in Rakka.
It’s not just because of the attack in Paris. It’s what has changed as a consequence. The world has come together and unanimously agreed a United Nations Security Council resolution. A real political process is now under way which could lead to a new Government in Syria capable of working with Coalition forces.
Our allies include not just the United States of America and France but Gulf States and others in the region.
The Vienna talks
The Vienna talks have given a huge impetus towards fashioning the political process which will lead to a settlement in Syria. It is hugely significant that the key regional players, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, are now sitting around the same table as America, Russia, France, Turkey and Britain. All are working towards the transition to a new Government in Syria.
The option of doing nothing
One option would be to do nothing and simply maintain the RAF’s present action in Iraq. But every day that goes by Daesh will go on becoming stronger and develop more plots to threaten our country’s security.
The most compelling argument
For me, the most compelling argument is that both the military advice, the diplomatic advice and the security advice all say that the risks of inaction are greater than taking further military action.
The legal basis for military action
There is a clear legal basis for military action against Daesh in Syria. It is founded on the right of self-defence as recognised in article 51 of the United Nations charter. The right of self-defence may be exercised individually where it is necessary to the UK’s own defence, and it can be exercised collectively in the defence of our friends and allies.
All five members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States) have agreed Resolution 2249 unanimously. This Resolution states that Daesh“constitutes a global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security”
That resolution calls upon member states to take “all necessary measures” to prevent and suppress terrorist acts committed specifically by Daesh.
Crucially, the Resolution says that we should “eradicate the safe haven they have established over significant parts of Iraq and Syria”.
Military action is not the whole answer
However brilliant the action of our service men and women who will be involved, increased military action and air strikes cannot be the whole answer. They have got to be carried out in co-ordination with credible ground forces.
Issue of Ground troops in Syria
The Prime Minister has given an assurance that we are not going to deploy British combat forces in Syria. It is judged that the presence of western boots on the ground would be counter-productive.
But it is quite legitimate to ask questions about ground troops in the country. The full answer cannot be achieved until there is a new Syrian Government who represent all the Syrian people—not just Sunni, Shi’a and Alawite, but Christian, Druze and others
The Prime Minister believes that there are around 70,000 Syrian opposition fighters who do not belong to extremist groups and with whom we can co-ordinate attacks on Daesh. The 70,000 figure is an estimate from the independent Joint Intelligence Committee, based on detailed analysis, updated daily and drawing on a wide range open sources and intelligence.
As Mr Cameron said in the House of Commons on Wednesday: “The majority of the 70,000 are from the Free Syrian Army. Alongside the 70,000, there are some 20,000 Kurdish fighters with whom we can also work.
Significantly, the Prime Minister then went on to say: “I am not arguing – this is the crucial point - that all of the 70,000 are somehow ideal partners. However, some left the Syrian army because of Assad’s brutality, and clearly they can play a role in the future of Syria. That view is also taken by the Russians, who are prepared to talk with these people.”
The Prime Minister reported that in his discussions with the King of Jordan, he made the point that in the south of Syria there is already not only co-operation among the Jordanian Government, the French and the Americans, and the Free Syrian Army, but a growing ceasefire between the regime troops and the Free Syrian Army so that they can turn their guns on Daesh.
Most people in Syria are neither massive fans of Assad or of the psychopathic Daesh extremist killers. Most Syrians want to have a pluralistic country where they can get on with their lives. That is who the Free Syrian Army and other moderate groups are fighting for and why we should support them.
The financing of Daesh
The Prime Minister’s response document to the report from the Foreign Affairs Select Committee sets out the plans for disrupting the financing of Daesh. Actions include intercepting smugglers, sealing borders, blocking their oil production, and enforcing sanctions to stop people trading with Daesh.
But Daesh can generate income because of its control of huge areas of Syria. Their finances will only be fully cut off when the areas they hold are rolled back as a result of the combined efforts of the international community.
Help with transition
The existence of Daesh, with its so-called caliphate, is to deny the territorial integrity of both Iraq and Syria. There can be no future for Syria with the existence of this caliphate taking over such a large amount of its territory. Syria will need the involvement of moderate groups. The more the coalition forces can help them, the better the chance of transition.
The characteristics of transition is what is being discussed in Vienna. It should start with ceasefires and then proceed to the political work of drawing up what a transitional Government and institutions would look like. Elections would follow and, at some stage, a transition away from the current leadership.
Long term reconstruction of Syria
The UK has been giving humanitarian aid to Syria of £1 billion over the last four years.
On top of this, the Prime Minister has said that he would be prepared to commit a further £1 billion to the reconstruction of the country.
Assad cannot be part of the long-term government of Syria. There will not be a Government of Syria which can command the support of the Syrian people if Assad is in charge of it, because of the blood that has been shed and because of what has happened in that country. There are thousands of people, including children, who have been killed by Assad’s barrel bombs and chemical weapons .
A new Government might not instantly become a perfect Swiss-style democracy but it might provide a partner to help complete the obliteration of Daesh and therefore make our country safe.
No time to wait
We face a fundamental threat to our security. There is no time to wait for a political transition in the governance of Syria. The terrorists have to be hit in their heartlands right now.
Daesh butcher Muslims in vast numbers, and that is why they have to be stopped. We cannot subcontract that work out to everybody else; we should be part of it.
As the Prime Minister said in the House of Commons last week: “Throughout our history, the United Kingdom has stood up to defend our values and our way of life. We can, and we must, do so again.”