MP Wes Streeting: 'PM needs to explain Syria strategy'

The Ilford North MP said he could understand why US, British and French forces had launched air strikes following the suspected gas attack in Douma earlier this month, which killed dozens of people.

However, Mr Streeting called on Prime Minister Theresa May to explain her wider strategy for aiding the millions of people displaced by the Syrian civil war.

“The use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime is an intolerable violation of international norms and cannot go unanswered,” he said.

“The United Nations Security Council has a responsibility to uphold human rights but, once again, the Russian Federation has paralysed the Security Council by using its veto to prevent any agreement on appropriate investigations and sanctions against the Syrian Government.

“In this context, I understand why other members of the Security Council chose to act, with support from international allies.

“Whether or not these air strikes will deter the future use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government remains to be seen, but the Prime Minister also needs to explain her wider strategy to address the humanitarian crisis facing the Syrian people.”

A US-led coalition including British and French forces launched a series of strikes aimed at degrading the Syrian government’s chemical weapons capabilities on Saturday

Russia, an ally of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s regime, said more than 70 of the 105 missiles launched at targets were destroyed by air defence systems, a claim disputed by the West.

Defence Minister Gavin Williamson described the strikes as “highly successful”, while US commanders said Syria’s chemical weapons programme had been set back three years by the bombings.

MPs in favour of the strikes have argued time constraints meant it was not possible to consult Parliament beforehand.

Mrs May has insisted the military action taken by Britain was “moral and legal” and was not just acting on the wishes of US President Donald Trump.