There can be no more difficult decision for any Prime Minister to make than to commit our forces to combat. But I think that the Prime Minister was right to support our international allies with air strikes on Syria to send a clear message that the international community will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons.
There is clear and distressing evidence from the pictures and videos from Douma that men, women and children were suffering from the devastating effects of chemicals weapons. There have been first-hand accounts from the World Health Organisation and aid workers of horrific suffering , including burns to the eyes, suffocation and skin discolouration. There is a significant body of information, including intelligence and eyewitnesses, which leaves us in no doubt that the Syrian Regime is responsible for this terrible attack. Nor does it come as a surprise as the Regime has an abhorrent record of using chemical weapons against its own people.
I think that the Prime Minister took proportionate action in support of our French and US allies to deal with these horrific human rights abuses and contravention of international law and I fully support it.
A resolution was put before the United Nations for a full investigation by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) but this was blocked by Russia. Instead, they preferred to present another resolution before the UN, which would have allowed Russia to veto any action as a result of the outcome. Therefore we must conclude that diplomatic action on its own will not be any more effective in the future than it has been in the past. Over the past week the Government worked tirelessly with international partners to build an evidence picture and to consider what action to take. Following advice from the Attorney General, the National Security Advisor and the Chief of Defence staff it was decided that it was both right and legal to take military action, together with our closest allies to prevent further humanitarian catastrophe.
As the Prime Minister said 'It is not about intervening in civil war and it is not about regime. It is a limited targeted effective strike with clear boundaries'. It was the right thing to do as we cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to become the norm. Now we must seek a political solution to resolve the wider conflict and above all else we must all do what we can to allow humanitarian access to those in desperate need.