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| Corbyn under pressure to reconsider Labour’s policy on Syria airstrikes | Corbyn under pressure to reconsider Labour’s policy on Syria airstrikes |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Jeremy Corbyn faced pressure over Labour’s policy on airstrikes in Syria after senior shadow cabinet ministers signalled they could support military action under the right conditions. | |
| Lord Falconer, the shadow justice secretary, said he would be prepared to back a bombing campaign in Syria with the proper military and legal justification, despite the Labour leader’s stated opposition. | Lord Falconer, the shadow justice secretary, said he would be prepared to back a bombing campaign in Syria with the proper military and legal justification, despite the Labour leader’s stated opposition. |
| His intervention came after Hilary Benn, the shadow foreign minister, refused to rule out supporting military intervention, saying he would look at the objectives. | |
| Corbyn will have to decide whether to let his MPs vote freely on the issue as a matter of conscience to avoid resignations, amid reports that up to half of the shadow cabinet could support the government at a vote. | Corbyn will have to decide whether to let his MPs vote freely on the issue as a matter of conscience to avoid resignations, amid reports that up to half of the shadow cabinet could support the government at a vote. |
| The Guardian understands the government is prepared to share some secret Syria-related intelligence with Corbyn to make the case for military action. | The Guardian understands the government is prepared to share some secret Syria-related intelligence with Corbyn to make the case for military action. |
| A Conservative cabinet minister confirmed they would allow the Labour leader access to some classified material “as and when” the prime minister tries again to get parliament to back airstrikes. | A Conservative cabinet minister confirmed they would allow the Labour leader access to some classified material “as and when” the prime minister tries again to get parliament to back airstrikes. |
| The senior source said the view was that the government had to treat Corbyn as trustworthy unless he proved himself otherwise, despite reports over the weekend that security chiefs are reluctant to let the anti-war Labour leader see top secret information and certainly would not give him access to live intelligence or any operational issues. | The senior source said the view was that the government had to treat Corbyn as trustworthy unless he proved himself otherwise, despite reports over the weekend that security chiefs are reluctant to let the anti-war Labour leader see top secret information and certainly would not give him access to live intelligence or any operational issues. |
| Downing Street has pointed to the tradition of Labour leaders being briefed about national security issues if they have membership of the privy council, which Corbyn accepted last week. | Downing Street has pointed to the tradition of Labour leaders being briefed about national security issues if they have membership of the privy council, which Corbyn accepted last week. |
| Speaking on Sunday, Falconer, who also served as lord chancellor under Tony Blair, listed a string of issues on which he differs from Corbyn – including academies, Nato, the EU, keeping the energy companies in private hands, independence for the Bank of England, renewing Trident and the benefit cap – but said he was able to serve because the new leader is “very, very pluralistic”. | Speaking on Sunday, Falconer, who also served as lord chancellor under Tony Blair, listed a string of issues on which he differs from Corbyn – including academies, Nato, the EU, keeping the energy companies in private hands, independence for the Bank of England, renewing Trident and the benefit cap – but said he was able to serve because the new leader is “very, very pluralistic”. |
| However, it is the issue of Syria that may cause the biggest problem for Corbyn, if David Cameron calls a vote on whether to join airstrikes on Islamic State after the party conferences. | However, it is the issue of Syria that may cause the biggest problem for Corbyn, if David Cameron calls a vote on whether to join airstrikes on Islamic State after the party conferences. |
| While Corbyn is a veteran of the anti-war movement and has indicated he is not in favour of airstrikes, up to half of the shadow cabinet are said to be sympathetic to the government position. | While Corbyn is a veteran of the anti-war movement and has indicated he is not in favour of airstrikes, up to half of the shadow cabinet are said to be sympathetic to the government position. |
| Falconer told the BBC’s Sunday Politics: “My view in relation to the attacks on Syria is that if there is a military and legal basis for doing it, then we should do it. But there has to be a proper military – obviously has to be a legal basis, that goes without saying, but there has to be a military basis as well ... | Falconer told the BBC’s Sunday Politics: “My view in relation to the attacks on Syria is that if there is a military and legal basis for doing it, then we should do it. But there has to be a proper military – obviously has to be a legal basis, that goes without saying, but there has to be a military basis as well ... |
| “We’ve got to think in the national interest what do we add by adding our planes to the American attacks on Raqqa and Isil strongholds in Syria? If there is a proper military basis for us doing that and it assists the national interest, and in particular national security, I would be in favour of it. But the government have got to come forward with a proper basis for it.” | “We’ve got to think in the national interest what do we add by adding our planes to the American attacks on Raqqa and Isil strongholds in Syria? If there is a proper military basis for us doing that and it assists the national interest, and in particular national security, I would be in favour of it. But the government have got to come forward with a proper basis for it.” |
| Speaking earlier on the BBC, Benn also would not rule out backing airstrikes, saying a decision will only be taken after Cameron presents his proposals to parliament. | Speaking earlier on the BBC, Benn also would not rule out backing airstrikes, saying a decision will only be taken after Cameron presents his proposals to parliament. |
| “What we’ve said consistently is that the government if it has got a proposal should bring that to the House of Commons,” he said. | “What we’ve said consistently is that the government if it has got a proposal should bring that to the House of Commons,” he said. |
| “In relation to airstrikes, we shall look at the objectives. At the moment we don’t know what the proposal is ... We will judge that against the objective, the legal base, what is the argument, is it about a lack of capacity to fight Isil, Daesh [Islamic State] ... I would also say to you the refugee crisis, this tide of humanity trying to move that we need a wider approach. There has got to be a wider international effort to find a peace agreement.” | |
| Corbyn set himself against airstrikes in Syria when he called for “peaceful solutions” at a rally for refugees after being elected Labour leader. | Corbyn set himself against airstrikes in Syria when he called for “peaceful solutions” at a rally for refugees after being elected Labour leader. |
| He told supporters: “I have been in parliament a long time and I’ve seen many decisions taken. In moments of clamour and moments of fervour decisions are made – go here, invade there, bomb there, do this, do that. It is the easy situation. The media build it up, there’s lots of military advice, there’s lots of apparently simple and easy solutions.” | He told supporters: “I have been in parliament a long time and I’ve seen many decisions taken. In moments of clamour and moments of fervour decisions are made – go here, invade there, bomb there, do this, do that. It is the easy situation. The media build it up, there’s lots of military advice, there’s lots of apparently simple and easy solutions.” |
| Corbyn’s first week as leader has seen him give a strong performance at the despatch box, but also face divisions over policy, derision from former Labour grandees and claims from the Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, of possible defections by MPs. | Corbyn’s first week as leader has seen him give a strong performance at the despatch box, but also face divisions over policy, derision from former Labour grandees and claims from the Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, of possible defections by MPs. |
| Corbyn has already been forced to clarify that he would not campaign for withdrawal from the EU or Nato, after shadow cabinet members said they would not serve without reassurances that Labour policy would not change on these issues. | Corbyn has already been forced to clarify that he would not campaign for withdrawal from the EU or Nato, after shadow cabinet members said they would not serve without reassurances that Labour policy would not change on these issues. |
| The Labour leader has also called for a debate on the future of Trident but Benn on Sunday made clear his opposition to any move to scrap it. | The Labour leader has also called for a debate on the future of Trident but Benn on Sunday made clear his opposition to any move to scrap it. |
| “My view is that we need to maintain an independent nuclear deterrent. I share with Jeremy the wish to see a world which is free of nuclear weapons, but I don’t believe for one second that if Britain were to give up its deterrent any other of the nuclear states would give theirs up,” he said | “My view is that we need to maintain an independent nuclear deterrent. I share with Jeremy the wish to see a world which is free of nuclear weapons, but I don’t believe for one second that if Britain were to give up its deterrent any other of the nuclear states would give theirs up,” he said |
| “The truth is that we live in a differently dangerous world now and we need a continuous at-sea-deterrent, and we need to do it in the most cost effective way – that is the view the Labour party conference has taken for many years now.” | “The truth is that we live in a differently dangerous world now and we need a continuous at-sea-deterrent, and we need to do it in the most cost effective way – that is the view the Labour party conference has taken for many years now.” |
| Labour party grandees also made interventions on Sunday that could undermine Corbyn. Charles Clarke, the former home secretary, suggested the party was preparing to fight the next election without the newly appointed leader. | Labour party grandees also made interventions on Sunday that could undermine Corbyn. Charles Clarke, the former home secretary, suggested the party was preparing to fight the next election without the newly appointed leader. |
| He told Murnaghan on Sky News: “I think it is a question of whether he will get so far as the 2020 general election but I think the party will be very keen to give him a chance and be working, of course, on its own proposals to try and ensure that we can contest the Tories effectively at the next election. | He told Murnaghan on Sky News: “I think it is a question of whether he will get so far as the 2020 general election but I think the party will be very keen to give him a chance and be working, of course, on its own proposals to try and ensure that we can contest the Tories effectively at the next election. |
| “But, at the end of the day, it is very much in Jeremy Corbyn’s own hands as to how long he lasts.” He added: “It’s obviously been a very bad week for him.” | |
| Clarke said there was absolutely no chance of defections and that Farron was making mischief. | |
| Asked if members were giving the new leader enough rope to hang himself, he replied: “We’ll have to see if he does hang himself anyway. So far the signs for Jeremy Corbyn aren’t particularly good.” | |
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