There was a sombre mood in the chamber this afternoon as MPs gathered to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Aleppo. After Russian planes dropped bombs that destroyed a UN aid convoy, Andrew Mitchell called for the Commons debate — drawing parallels between Russia’s disregard for international law today and the fascist regimes of Germany and Italy in the 1930s.
Supporting Mitchell’s call for a no-fly zone, Labour’s Alison McGovern gave an emotional speech as she urged the government to do so ‘if it can be shown to be an effective way to protect civilians’. Referring to her late friend Jo Cox, McGovern — the co-chair of the friends of Syria group — said that if the Labour MP were still alive today she would have ‘been here and would have known what was needed’.
‘With bombs raining down, we should be volunteering to take the lead. There is legal precedent for the possibility of a no fly zone and my belief is that this must not be off the table if it can be shown to be the most effective way of protecting civilians.’
McGovern’s calls were supported by fellow Labour backbenchers including Mary Creagh and John Woodcock — who found time to criticise his party’s frontbench for its soft approach. However,
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