The UN Security Council this evening unanimously approved a resolution calling on all countries that can do so to fight Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. David Cameron welcomed it as a sign that ‘the world has united against Isil’. It will likely form a key part of his case for British involvement in military action against Islamic State in Syria, and in his statement, the Prime Minister said:
‘Today’s vote shows beyond doubt the breadth of international support for doing more in Syria and for decisive action to eradicate ISIL. Britain will continue to support our allies who are fighting ISIL in Syria. I will continue to make the case for us to do more and to build support in Parliament for the action that I believe is necessary for Britain to take to protect our own security, as part of a determined international strategy. We cannot expect others to shoulder the burdens and the risks of protecting this country.’
This resolution makes it much more likely that the Commons will approve military action against Islamic State in Syria. The SNP have said they are listening to the case for action, and have stated that UN involvement is a necessary part of that. Labour’s position – or positions given the confusion on this issue – is that UN approval is at least important (Hilary Benn) or perhaps even essential (Jeremy Corbyn). It will also encourage wavering Tory MPs, and it may even prevent the Chamber from being haunted quite so much by the ghost of interventions past when MPs do debate the matter.
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