Katy Balls Katy Balls

Not all Tories are gung-ho for intervention in Syria

As Theresa May meets with her Cabinet to discuss a possible response to the suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, it’s widely expected that any action she does take will be actioned without a vote in Parliament. The Prime Minister does not need to have approval through a Commons vote but recent precedent means that a lot of MPs think that she should.

In that vein, today Jeremy Corbyn warned that MPs must be consulted on any UK military action. This is unsurprising but May’s bigger problem is that a sizeable portion of the Tory party is also sceptical of the merits of intervention. Were the decision to go to Parliament, May would almost certainly have to rely on Labour rebels’ votes for her majority in this instance.

As I say in the Guardian, a quick browse of the papers, news channels and social media this week would suggest that the Tories are urging an indecisive prime minister to transform into an iron lady and take drastic action.

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