House of Commons Syria debate - as it happened: Jeremy Corbyn secures emergency debate on UK military action

PM denies following Donald Trump's lead by launching air strikes

Syria air strikes: How events unfolded

Theresa May has faced MPs to defend her decision to launch air strikes against the Syrian government, but ducked calls to give parliament a retrospective vote on the matter.

Speaking in the House of Commons, the prime minister dismissed suggestions the government had followed the “whims” of Donald Trump and insisted she had taken the decision to launch strikes because it was in the UK's national interest.

But she faced criticism from MPs, including some on her own benches, for not seeking a vote of parliament before launching the strikes.

Instead, the Commons is likely to vote on the issue on Tuesday after Jeremy Corbyn was granted permission for a debate on intervention in Syria.

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Key Points

• MPs should not vote on strikes as they can't be given sensitive intelligence, cabinet minister says
• US plans sanctions on Russian companies 'dealing with equipment related to Assad and chemical weapons'
• Watchdog has logged 390 allegations of banned chemical use in Syria since 2014
• Britain should brace for retaliation by Russia, Boris Johnson says

[16 April 2018 19:16 · Kristin Hugo]

In the House of Lords, former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Campbell says the government made a "mistake" in failing to recall parliament before launching strikes against Syria. 

While agreeing it was hard to argue the attacks were "anything other than lawful", he said the UK was not "at imminent risk" and so the prime minister could have delayed action by 48 hours in order to secure parliamentary approval.

[16 April 2018 19:37 · Kristin Hugo]

Theresa May has finished answering MPs' questions after more than three hours.

Andrea Leadsom, the Leader of the House, has just confirmed that, after tonight's debate called by a backbencher, there will be NO further debate this week on air strikes in Syria. There had been suggestions the government could call a further debate tomorrow, possibly including a retrospective vote, but that will now not happen. 

[16 April 2018 19:46 · Harriet Agerholm]

Labour MP Sharon Hodgson said it was "commendable" the prime minister had answered MPs questions on Syria for a number of hours, but said that was not the same as a "full and frank and detailed debate".

Leader of the House Andrew Leadsom said it was an "ungenerous response" to the Theresa May's appearance.

[16 April 2018 20:06 · Harriet Agerholm]

MPs are now holding an emergency debate on Syria and the UK Government's approach called by Labour MP Alison McGovern. The discussion could last up to three hours. Tomorrow the House of Commons will have a debate on Syria called by Jeremy Corbyn.

[16 April 2018 20:16 · Harriet Agerholm]

Opening the debate, Alison McGovern said the Government must not just "look in the rear view mirror" and look at previous military interventions when deciding what action to take in Syria, but should carefully examine what the Syrian people need now.

[16 April 2018 20:29 · Harriet Agerholm]

Alison McGovern has turned the discussion to refugees, saying the Government's commitment to accept 20,000 displaced people by 2020 "is not good enough".

She said the figure amounted to 4 per cent of those taken by Germany, adding the UK's treatment of refugees had "rubbished our global reputation".

[16 April 2018 20:49 · Harriet Agerholm]

Alison McGovern has called on Theresa May to double the number of refugees the resettled in the UK by 2020. It is currently committed to taking 20,000 people.

Ms McGovern also called for the Government to double number of children allowed to live under the "Dubs" child refugee scheme.

The Dubs Amendment, passed in May 2016, required the Government to act “as soon as possible” to relocate and support unaccompanied refugee children in Europe. But last year, the Government announced it was to close the scheme after accepting just 350 minors.

In the Commons, Labour's Stella Creasy agreed more needed to be done to help unaccompanied children.

"This is a conflict that's been going on for seven years - of course people have fled further than just going to the nearest camps," she said.

"When Turkey is taking three million and we haven't even met the 3,000 that we said when we passed the Dubs Amendment - it is a small fraction, but it is a fraction that is life or death for those [involved].

"The prime minister is shaking her head, but I urge her to go to the camps in Greece and see those children and tell us that they're not as worthy as the children in Ghouta, because they are all ones that need our help."

[16 April 2018 21:09 · Harriet Agerholm]

Labour's Hilary Benn said debate had become too focused on military action and more consideration should be given to how to resolve conflict before it became so advanced.

"We have been here and we will be here again, unless a better system for stopping conflict before we get to this point," he said.

"Let's be honest, in relation to this conflict, the chances are that President Assad is going to win, although what he will do with his country that he is more responsible than anyone else for destroying I have no idea whatsoever.

"We can debate particular action at particular times and whether or not it will have a beneficial effect, but the truth of this tragedy is that we can and we must as a world do much better."

[16 April 2018 22:16 · Harriet Agerholm]

Green MP Caroline Lucas urged caution when considering military action in Syria.

"Assad and his henchmen are barbarians and the desire to do something to stop them is deeply and keenly felt," she said. "Colleagues on both sides of the House have expressed that very sincerely and passionately.

"But our guiding principle surely must be that whatever we do must be whatever has the best chance of reducing suffering in the region and I still remain to be convinced that the military strikes that we have seen are the best way of doing that.

"Air strikes against chemical weapons facilities might help us avoid feeling impotent and irrelevant, yet taking action which risks escalating ... further loss of life and suffering would only perpetuate the problems we all want to solve.

"Moreover in places like Libya, as in Syria, such action has, time and again, proved a distraction from the difficult, relentless and all too frequently neglected work that is waging peace, that is a lot more difficult than waging war."

[16 April 2018 22:25 · Harriet Agerholm]

That's all from the House of Commons tonight, but The Independent will be live blogging the emergency debate called by Jeremy Corbyn tomorrow, so please check then for updates.