Britain prepares for airstrikes in Iraq - live

Live coverage as MPs vote on Government motion to strike Islamic State (IS) terrorists in Iraq within hours

RAF Tornados are ready for action Photo: MoD


By Georgia Graham, Political Correspondent
4:24PM BST 25 Sep 2014

• Defence Secretary: we will be in this battle for years
• Eradicate Isil, says beheaded British hostage's daughter
• Air strikes by midnight? What happens next
• How does British strike power compare the the US?
• US air strikes: Q&A

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17.16: MPs back Iraq strikes

Air Strikes could begin within hours after MPs backed Government plans for a bombing campaign again Isis in Iraq.

Bombing is backed by 524 to 43

17.09: There are around 20 Labour rebels, it has been reported

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Earlier we reported that the were rumours of 20 Conservatives rebelling, so it is possible that the overall number of rebels could be 50.

16.59: MPs are now voting, result expect at around 17.15
The tellers for the ayes (those backing the government) are Mark Hunter, a Lib Dem, and Gavin Barwell, a Conservative.
The tellers for the noes are Jeremy Corbyn, a Labour MP, and Pete Wishart, an SNP MP.

16.55: Nick Clegg says we must not be “trapped by the mistakes of the past” when it comes to

He is closing this seven hour debate. The Deputy Prime Minister said: “We should avoid repeating the mistakes of the past but we should not trapped by the mistakes of the past.
He added that he would tell “all those including myself” who campaigned against an attack on Iraq respond to the request of the Iraqi Government for help.
Britain would be “one part in the wider jigsaw.”
“Just because you can’t do everything surely does not mean you do nothing”, he added.
He says “Islamic state is neither Islamic nor a state” and “the greatest antidote is moderate peace-loving communities”.
He added: "There are times when it is simply imposssible to reason with your foe."
15.45: Claire Short: Here we go... along with the Us and be a poodle again
Ms Short, who resigned over the decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003, told Sky News:
"Here we go again … throwing six planes into it to go along with the US and be a poodle again.
"There’s no strategy here. It won’t solve anything. We need more intelligence about the underlying problems and how we’re going to address them."
16.32: MPs are also debating the pros and cons of strikes on Twitter




16.29: Diane Abbot: Isil are inciting us to bomb

Diane Abbot, Labour MP, “It is quite clear from what Isil has done, filming these beheadings, putting them on YouTube, making sure they have English voiceovers they are seeking to incite us to bomb.
“This is something they want, will make them the heroic muslim defenders against the crusaders.”
15.51: Nigel Farage has been delivering his Ukip conference speech and explains why he is against intervention

He said Britain is entering into military action "without having fully thought through what the consequences are".
He added: "Everything that I see from IS is telling me that they’ve been teasing us, they want us to go in and bomb them… I do not believe that today’s strategy is the right one.”
15.20: IS militants have ditched their conspicuous convoys in wake of air strikes, reuters are reporting
According to sources in tribes in the area IS have started using motorcycles in favour of big pick up trucks.
They reported fewer militant checkpoints to weed out "apostates" and less mobile phone use since the air strikes intensified and more U.S. allies pledged to join the campaign that began in August.
15.13: There are reports that 20 Conservatives will rebel and vote against the motion and against strikes

15.07: Shabana Mahmood: Isis have hijacked the religion I follow and practice
The Labour MP says that the coming together of the British Muslim community has been “very welcome” and much needed.
She adds: “Isil’s rightful place is behind bars or in the round six foot under.”
15.00: Dan Jarvis who served in Afghanistan and Iraq says "does not relish" the action but backs it all the same

He said: "There are no easy answers to the situation. I do not relish the action we are taking. I come to this debate with a heavy heart. I believe it is in our national interest to act… in the interests of Iraq to act… I will be supporting the action today."

14.58: Several MPs have criticised George Galloway, branding him a total disgrace
The Huffington Post tracks their reaction
14.34: So many MPs want to speak the time limit for MPs contributions being reduced to 4 minutes
Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General, believes that Britain's "long history of international involvement" means it is "difficult to see how we can sit on our hands while a barbarous group of individuals perpetrate these crimes.
The consensus seems firmly in support of the Government's motion for air strikes so far.
14.03: David Cameron's speech to Parliament in full

13.54: Frank Dobson: Isis use rape and murder as a tactic
The former Labour Health Secretary says that in other wars there are cases of rape and murder but they are a result of "indiscipline", Isis are using this as a standard tactic of war.
He is interupted by Barry Sheerman MP, another Labour politician, said that if the bombs Mr Dobson advocated began to land on schools dropped from inaccurate drones public opinion would ebb.
Mr Dobson replies that if there had been no US led bombing Isis could have taken Baghdad already.
13.52: Some MPs are yet to make up their mind
George Galloway and others hold firm positions and are not here to be swayed. Others, such as Fiona Mactaggart, are genuinely torn.

13.46: Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary: Syria is Isil's headquarters

Mr Fallon told BBC Radio 4's the World at One that it is Syria, not Iraq is where Isil has made a base. He said that strikes on Syria would not happen without another vote in Parliament.
He said: "Isil is based in Syria, that's where it's headquarters, resources and people are. They have crossed the border into Iraq, and to deal with Isil you have to deal with and defeat them in both Iraq and Syria. The logic follows."
He added: "Militarily we certainly make a difference … The Americans have made it very clear they value the contribution we can make."
13.41: US announce another round of airstrikes on IS in both Syria and Iraq, PhilipSherwellreportsfromNewYork

Even as MPs discussed British air strikes on Iraq, the US military announced another round of attacks on Islamic State targets in both Iraq and Syria.
The US air force used a mix of fighter planes, attack jets and remotely piloted drone aircraft to conduct 10 airstrikes on Thursday and Friday, Central Command said.
There were seven strikes on Isil facilities and equipment in Iraq and three in Syria.
In Iraq, according to the Centcom read-out, five airstrikes south and southwest of Kirkuk destroyed three Isil Humvees and one Isil vehicle, disabled two other armed vehicles and damaged one Isil mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle.
One airstrike west of Baghdad destroyed an Isil guard shack, an armed vehicle and a bunker. Another airstrike near Al Qaim destroyed four Isil armed vehicles, a command and control node and a checkpoint.
Across the border, in Syria, three airstrikes south and southeast of Dayr Az Zawr destroyed four Isil tanks and damaged another.
13.25: Lord Dannat, former head of the army: "Isil recognises no international borders"
He says: "But the situation in Iraq and Syria leaves no option but to take action.
"After the bruising experience of the vote in August 2013, the Prime Minister has done the right thing in carefully building support for his proposed course of action."
Without a dialogue with Syria, which he backs, then strikes in Syria may have to be limited to drone in the future. Attacking Isil in Iraq not Syria is "dealing with half a problem, not a whole problem."
He added: "Of course, operating in Syrian airspace is a major problem. Last month I ventured to suggest that we might have to have some form of dialogue with the Assad regime. If there's no appetite for that, air-strikes in Syrian airspace may have to be confined to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
"Issues such as the one we are currently facing are ultimately settled on the ground. Isil must be defeated on the ground, albeit supported from the air."
13.20: George Galloway: “everything will be made worse” by strikes

Mr Galloway, the Respect MP, has made an impassioned opposition to the many MPs backing strikes in Iraq, and those suggesting they must be extended to Syria.
“The mission creep has not even waited to the end of the debate”, he said. Instead there is a consensus that “we will bomb Syria” and although the motion says no boots on the ground there is consensus that there will be boots on the ground, the only question is whose boots.
Isis, he says is an “Imaginary army - they don’t have any bases, the territory they control is the size of Britain and yet there is only between 10 and 20,000 of them. Do the maths. They don’t concentrate as an army, they don’t live in bases.”
He said the population of Iraq are supporting Isis to some extent. They “have a population which is acting as the water in which they are swimming. That population is acquiescent because of western policies.”
He says “everything will be made worse” by decision made by “fools in here” with “big salaries and big expenses.
“The last people who should be returning to the scene of their former crimes are Britain, France and America,” he added.
Anne Clwyd, Labour MP, asks Galloway to stop shouting near the microphones. “You are wrong. As you were then, you are wrong now," she adds.
13.12: Andrew Mitchell, former chief whip and international secretary says motion does not go far enough

He says that he is sure that MPs will be returning soon to debate the issue of backing strikes in Syria.
13.04: Vernon Coaker, Labour's Shadow Defence Secretary, says they are not implying Syrian air strikes are illegal
Mr Coaker has been on Daily Politics on BBC to emphasise Labour's position, although it is not entirely clear.
He says there was "legitimacy keeping the broadest possible support for any action that took place in Syria" but said this did not mean Labour viewed them as illegal.
He said that the party had not been asked by the Government to give a position on Syria. He added: "We need to find a way forward that is inclusive in a way that will make a real difference, that’s much more complicated in Syria.”
12.26: You cannot have a "jihadi gap year" and come back to the UK
Liam Fox, the Conservative former Defence Secretary, tell MPs that a motion to strike Syria should have been included on the motion, "Sooner or later we are going to have to do it. It would have been far better if we had said so today."
Defeating Isis without attacking them in Syria is an "impossible task which will get us into the mire later on".
He said: “We cannot disengage from the global threats that we face. There are people out there who hate us ideologically for who we are not what we do… undoubtedly be a cost of o acting on this occasion but the cost of not acting would infinitely greater.”
12.17: Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury has backed the motion to strike Iraq
Steven Swinford, senior political correspondent, is watching the Lords debate.


12.10: Sir Menzies Campbell adds a Liberal Democrat voice to those calling for strikes on Syria

He says that the same justifications that make it appropriate to bomb Iraq can be applied to Syria.
A UN Security Council resolution would be a "wholly pointless exercise" as it will be blocked.
12.02: Hazel Blears makes an emotional plea that people remember the families of the hostages

She says that the motion is a "rather minimalist motion" and that there is little doubt MPs will be back in the house to discuss it again. She says that is "no doubt" Isis will have to be dealt with in Syria.
11.53: Ed Miliband is facing pressure from both Labour and Tory MPs over his refusal to back Syrian strikes
Labour’s Peter Hain says strikes must also be in Syria if they are to have a real effect. It remains "the elephant in the room".
“Isil will not be defeated if it allowed to constantly regroup from its Syrian bases”, he says.
He adds “the blunt truth is that simply allowing Isil to retreat across an invisible border” is no answer. He says there is a need for negotiation with Syria but that does not amount to support.
Conservative grandee Ken Clarke says it is "unrealistic" to proceed on any other basis than striking Syria too.
He says: "It’s artificial to divide the two problems. The Sykes-Picot line is a theoretical line on the map now and there’s absolutely no doubt that Isis has to be defeated in both countries."
However Mr Clarke confuses Assad, the Syrian President's name with Saddam Hussein's
11.47: Denmark has joined the coalition to fight Islamic State in Iraq sends seven F-16 fighter jets, AP reports
Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said her government would send four operational planes and three reserve jets along with 250 pilots and support staff. The deployment will last for 12 months.
She urged other countries to participate, too. “No one should be ducking in this case. Everyone should contribute,” she said.

11.45: Richard Ottaway, the Conservative chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, reminds the commons of the dangers to British armed forces
He says he fears casualities. "A coalition of the willing has been assembled; the response has been prepared and our thoughts are now with the men and women of the armed forces. This isn’t going to be an easy campaign. It’s going to be messy."
11.44: John Bercow, the speaker, says there are 76 speakers with their name down for today's debate and imposes a 5-minute time limit on backbench speakers

11.35: Ed Miliband is setting out why this is different from the Iraq war in 2003

This is about supporting a democratic state not toppling a regime.
There is not debate about the legal action in Iraq – as there was in 2003.
No one is saying let’s negotiate with Isil, that is not possible, he says.
"There is no debate about the legal case as in 2003. Whatever side of this debate you’re on, nobody is saying ‘let’s negotiate with Isil’. There is broader support… five Arab states taking part in action.
"There is no question of British ground troops being deployed."
11.33: The Labour leader pressed to say whether he would support a separate motion authorising military action against Syria
He says that the vote last year was about chemical weapons use by Assad which had now been dealt with through other routes.
“I believe that we made the right decision last summer but today is about getting the whole house supporting this motion.”
11.28: In an unpopular intervention Andrew Bridgen, a Conservative MP, uses the opportunity to challenge Mr Miliband on the deficit.
He says this is another case like deficit of the coalition clearing up the mess left by Labour. Mr Miliband says that intervention does him no credit.
11.15: Ed Mililband is now speaking, he says he supports the motion
Those who advocate military action must prove not that Isil is evil but that it is Britain that should be the ones to take the action.
Making specific reference to an Isis attack on a village when men and boys were murdered and the women and children kidnapped. He says Isil are attacking muslims.
"Isil's ideology has nothing to do with the peaceful religion practiced by billions of people across the world and by millions of our fellow citizens who are appalled by their actions," he added.
This is a key argument Mr Miliband is using to convince those Labour MPs who are very much against any intervention, they haven't yet spoken up in this debate by they may soon.



11.11: David Cameron: In “critical” situations I will take action and explain to Parliament later

The Prime Minister confirms that if there is an “urgent need” to prevent a massacre of a minority community or a threat to British interests he would take the decision to take action and come to explain to Parliament immediately afterwards.
He says the recent convention that has grown up since the Iraq war to consult Parliament and vote on any “premeditated action” is a “good convention”.
However he says it he “reserves the right” to take an executive decision it a “critical” issue is at stake. “I am being very frank about this,” he added.
11.03: Mr Cameron said there have been six plots linked to Isis disrupted so far in Europe
10.59: David Cameron says that it is “vital” Britain takes part and does not simply leave this to the US
He says that the UK has unique assets. One of these, he says, is the Brimstone Precision missile which can minimise casualties and the US does not even have.
He also points to Britain’s high level intelligence options that the UK offers, one of the reasons President Obama “made it clear to me” that British involvement was needed.
“It is also our duty to take part – this is about protecting our people too and protecting the streets of Britain should not be a task that we should be prepared to entirely subcontract” to the armies of other nations.
10.49: David Cameron says there is a "strong case" for action Syria but he did not include as he wanted to "proceed on the basis of concensus"
Mr Cameron appears to put the fact that air strikes in Syria at the door of Labour who have indicated they would not support them. He says that the situation in Syria is "more complicated" because of the "burtal dictator" in President Assad.
Earlier today Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, said there was robust legal advice in the US which supports this. Labour have made clear they wanted a seperation between Iraq and Syria strikes.
10.45: David Cameron says problem is the "poisonous narrative of Islamist extremism"
The Prime Minister is not simply ploughing through his comments but taking many interventions.
Hazel Blears, Labour MP, asks if Cameron will support Muslims in the UK who are standing up to extremism.
Sir Edward Leigh, a senior Conservative asks whether air strikes alone can "roll back" IS, "or is this just gesture politics?"
10.36: The debate has begun, David Cameron is speaking
We will bring you key points. The Prime Minister says Isil is a terrorist operation that belongs to the "dark ages" which has capaturd an arsenal of modern weapons.
Britain has never dealt a threat like this before, he said.
"This is not a threat on the far side of the world, left unchecked we will face a terrorist caliphate on the shores of the emdieraniea... this is not a fantasy and we need to face up to it."
Labour MP Dennis Skinner asks how long this last will and when will mission creep start?
The Prime Minster responds that this will take "months, not years and we have to be prepared for that".
10.20: British people overwhelmingly support strikes


YouGov poll for The Sun
A YouGov poll for The Sun said shows 57 per cent of British people favour RAF strikes in Iraq with just 24 per cent against.
This represents a 20 per cent jump in support for strikes since August.
By a majority of two to one – 51 per cent to 26 per cent – the public back attacks in Syria too.
Revealingly 43 per cent of people want ground troops back in Iraq or to keep the option open with just 32 per cent who want to completely rule out boots on the ground.
10.10: Memories of the 2003 Iraq war are still raw for protesters outside Downing Street last night


10.02: New York police have hiked security after an alleged terrorist plot on the city's subway was discovered
Iraq’s prime minister said that Islamic State militants told his intelligence agents of an alleged plot to attack subways in New York and Paris.


09.51: Wife of David Haines backs UK air strikes
She said his wife has changed her life, and those of al right thinking people forever. She backs strikes by the UK as long as they are "limited to distinctive targets."
09.49: As Britain weighs up whether to join campaign US strikes on Isil terrorists continue
The US-led alliance launched new strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria Friday, targeting oil facilities for a second day.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported fresh strikes in the oil-rich eastern province of Deir Ezzor, and northeastern Hasakeh, both of which were also targeted a day earlier, the AFP agency reported.
Experts say sales of oil from Syria and Iraq are among the group's biggest source of funding, netting it between $1 million and $3 million a day.
09.40: David Cameron is about to make his way to the Commons from Downing Street ahead of this morning's debate

09.37: Two men held in motorway terror swoop
Counter-terror police have arrested two men on the M6 motorway as part of an investigation into Islamist-related terrorism.
One man, aged 33, was arrested on suspicion of being a member of, or supporting, a banned organisation, and of encouraging terrorism.
The second man, 42, was held on suspicion of assisting an offender. Both are being held in custody at a police station in central London.
It comes after nine men, including radical preacher Anjem Choudary, were arrested yesterday as part of an investigation into Islamist terrorism.
09.30: Ed Miliband: "It's difficult but the alternative is to turn away"
Labour will support UK airstrikes against Isil forces today, the party's leader confirms.
Mr Miliband said people would be "fearful" about the strikes but the planned attack was be "part of coherent strategy".
He said: "Yes it’s difficult but the alternative is to turn away and say we are not going to take action. Now I know, because of the 2003 Iraq war people will be fearful about this. We are determined we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past, but equally that we don’t turn away from the threats that we face.”
09.01: Philip Hammond has confirmed that just six British Tornado jets will take part in strikes if MPs authorise the attack
Have a look at this brilliant video that compares our military might to that the of the USA.
08.46: If MPs vote yes we could strike Iraq by midnight. So what happens next?
How long could action last? The U.S. military leaders this week’s strikes on Syria and Iraq are only the beginning of a prolonged campaign that will continue intermittently for months and the overall objectives could last for years. David Cameron would not say how long it would last, but acknowledged that it could take “quite a long time”.
When will action commence? Within hours of the vote expected at 5.30pm today, following a seven hour debate in Parliament. Six tornados supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker have been flying reconnaissance missions over northern Iraq since they were moved to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus in mid-August which RAF sources be ready to carry out bombing tonight.
What type of weaponry could be used? The Tornadoes could quickly be fitted with Paveway IV guided bombs or Brimstone missiles to carry out strikes on Isil vehicles and convoys. The current aircraft at the base are sufficient to carry out “significant drops” on a small forces such as Isis.
Take a look out my full explainer here
08.25: Britain will be less safe after strikes, Nigel Farage says

The Ukip leader said that if he was an MP and had a vote he would vote against the strikes. He said Britain's streets would not be safe following air strikes in Iraq.
David Cameron has made an "absolute pig’s ear of foreign policy", he added.
He told Sky News: “Here’s Mr Cameron urging us to launch these bombing raids, this time last year Mr Cameron was actually urging us to arm many of the people that have actually morphed into Isis, so we have made an absolute pig’s ear of foreign policy over the last ten to fifteen years... The fact that party leaders agree around a policy does not make them right.”
08.01: Diane Abbot MP: We have seen this movie and we know how it ends
Last year, on August 29, MPs voted 285 to 219 against air strikes in Syria. Diane Abbot, a shadow minister at the time, threatened to resign if her party supported the action. In the event Mr Miliband, the Labour leader, opposed it.
Despite the strikes due to be debated today being legal she said she would again vote against miltary action.
MPs, she said “have all been horrified by the massacres” and the beheadings, but “the truth is that a lot of MPs have misgivings about this. We have seen this movie and we know how it ends."
She added: “I think it is a more complicated situation that the decision on Syria was last year I think it is more complex now I understand why it has been harder for Ed MIliband to say no… but the fact remains that we are in for the long haul, we are going to spend billions of pounds and the military action is going to be no more successful than the original Iraq war.”
07.40: Foreign Secretary: We cannot standby, we have to rise to that challenge today

A pair of U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles fly over northern Iraq
Philip Hammond said that Britain's hostages will not be put at risk by a decision to join the strikes. They are "hugely threatened" whatever happens, he says.
"It is not a case that British hostages are safe if we don’t go in and unsafe if we do go in. their safety is hugely threatened because of the nature of what Isil is, because of the nature of what Isil does
"We cannot standby, we cannot look on as they murder thousands of people displace a million people in Iraq, take western hostages and execute them in the most horrific way. We cannot stand by, we have to respond ot that challenge and I am sure MPs will rise that challenge today.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the recall of Parliament over the plan to launch air strikes in Iraq. This morning MPs vote on whether Britain should begin bombing Islamic State militants in Iraq.
It is likely that there will not be a repeat of last year’s vote on Syria, when Labour and dozens of Conservative backbenchers voted against a military intervention.
This time around there is no question of whether strikes in Iraq are illegal and strikes in Syria are not currently on the table with ministers promising further debate and another vote.
The general mood amongst MPs and ministers across the spectrum is that the brutality of IS and the request from the Iraqi Government for support mean that a vote to authorise strikes is likely. This vote would not be happening at all if there was a sense that this was would be lost. David Cameron would not risk a repeat of the scarring loss last year.
However some MPs and their constituents have very clear memories of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and any bombing in the region will be simply unacceptable.
In fact, it is the scars from the Iraq war which have left Britain in the position that a debate and a vote must happen before a strike. President Obama and other European leaders made no such request and simply ordered the attack, but public mood in Britain would not allowe a British Prime Minister to make such a decision.
The vote on strikes is expected at 5.30pm. Is it is a yes British Tornadoes could be dropping bombs on IS strongholds in Iraq within hours.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/11120391/Britain-prepares-for-airstrikes-in-Iraq-live.html