Last Wednesday the House of
Commons voted, by a majority of 174, to extend our air campaign against Da’esh
(ISIS) into Syria.
That day was one of the most
serious and solemn of my life. I was in
the Chamber almost all of the debate, which lasted over 10 hours, and was
honoured to be able to contribute with a speech.
I view this issue as a matter of
conscience and I want to make clear that I came to my own decision on how I
voted. It was only on Tuesday afternoon that I decided that I would be voting in
favour of the motion.
I think it is important to
understand this is not a new conflict. It is an extension of a conflict we are
already engaged in. Da’esh are already our enemy. They
hate us, and all we stand for. We are already engaged in conflict against
Da’esh in Iraq so it makes little sense not to pursue them into Syria.
Some people have expressed
understandable concern that extending our attacks in this was will heighten the
likelihood of attacks on our country.
But we are a priority target for Da’esh; there have been seven known
attacks planned on our country. The reason we have not witnessed the scenes we
watched on the streets of Paris is not because we not a target, but because of
the professionalism and dedication of our security services. The level of threat to this country is
already severe and will not go away until Da’esh are diminished or destroyed.
Many people are concerned by the
possibility of civilian casualties; no one wants to see innocent people caught
up in this war. However there are already civilians caught up in this conflict. Da’esh is killing, terrorising and
enslaving innocent Syrians every week. They are killing more civilians than are
ever likely to be caught up in our aerial campaign. Not attacking Da’esh will
result in more and more civilian casualties.
During our 15-month bombing campaign
in Iraq there have been no reported civilian casualties. Our precision
targeting capabilities are second to none in the world.
Finally, some people have
suggested that this is not our fight and that we should just simply walk by. But it is our fight; British people were killed on the beach
in Tunisia and the streets of Paris.
The USA and France, our closest
allies, have asked for our support in Syria. Imagine how we would feel if the
streets of London had been attacked and France refused to stand with us.
We have often learned throughout
our national history that there is a price to pay for peace, a price we have historically
been prepared to pay. We should still be willing to play our part in fighting
for our way of life.
Thank you to all of you who
contacted me with views on this debate. It is clear people hold strong views
both for and against further action in Syria. I know that not everyone agrees
with my decision. I hope everyone can accept that I have made my decision after
careful consideration.
