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Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in London ahead of a crucial shadow cabinet meeting.
Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in London ahead of a crucial shadow cabinet meeting. Photograph: Neil Hall/Reuters
Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in London ahead of a crucial shadow cabinet meeting. Photograph: Neil Hall/Reuters

Majority of Labour members oppose Syria airstrikes, poll finds

This article is more than 8 years old

Jeremy Corbyn to enter shadow cabinet talks after survey showed 75% of full Labour members were against extending RAF role in anti-Isis coalition

Jeremy Corbyn is to go into a crunch meeting with his shadow cabinet armed with an internal party survey showing that three-quarters of members oppose extending RAF airstrikes in Syria.

The party said a random sample of full individual Labour party members showed 75% were against UK bombing in Syria, 13% were in favour and 11% were undecided.

The figures showed the party had received 107,875 responses in a consultation, of which 64,771 were confirmed to be from full individual members. The remainder included affiliated supporters and registered supporters.

The data was released on Monday as Corbyn was due to discuss with his shadow cabinet whether to impose a three-line whip against airstrikes on his MPs, a decision that could lead to resignations unless he lifts shadow cabinet collective responsibility.

The value of the poll is bound to be challenged by some shadow cabinet members who will say they need to make decisions based on their principle, as well as think about what Labour voters believe.

However, Corbyn’s supporters believe he is winning over the parliamentary party and think the threat of resignations may be a bluff. He knows he cannot force David Cameron to abandon a Commons vote unless he puts maximum pressure on his own MPs.

The prime minister has not ruled out holding a vote if he does not have the support of the Labour party, but he has said he needs a clear majority in the Commons before deciding to put the issue to a vote.

Cameron has instructed security officials to give high-level briefings to privy councillors from all sides of the Commons on Monday in a bid to answer questions from sceptical MPs on the effectiveness of airstrikes in Syria.

Many MPs are unconvinced of Cameron’s claims that there are 70,000 effective moderate ground troops capable of taking up territory liberated from Isis in northern Syria.

Downing Street insisted that security officials were not acting as advocates for airstrikes, something that would challenge their impartiality. No 10 also indicated that the terms of a draft motion were being discussed with MPs across parties in order to broaden support for airstrikes. Some Labour MPs fear the wording will leave Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s president, in power.

With the prime minister at the climate change talks in Paris on Monday, and due to spend most of Tuesday in Bulgaria on talks about the future of the EU, Wednesday looks like the only plausible day this week for Cameron to stage a Commons vote.

Downing Street again insisted it had no timetable for calling a vote, but it is clear Cameron has to wait for a clear signal from the shadow cabinet and parliamentary party. Initial signs over the weekend suggested Corbyn was persuading many Labour MPs that there are too many holes in Cameron’s case for airstrikes.

Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, will give evidence to the defence select committee on Tuesday.

Labour MPs minded to back military action include the shadow foreign secretary, Hilary Benn, the deputy leader, Tom Watson, the shadow lord chancellor, Charles Falconer, the culture secretary, Michael Dugher, the defence secretary, Maria Eagle, the Northern Ireland secretary, Vernon Coaker, and the shadow education secretary, Lucy Powell.

On Monday, Diane Abbott, the shadow international development secretary, said party members would be disappointed if discipline was not enforced. “What I’m saying is that party members and increasingly the country want to see us oppose these airstrikes, which are not the solution, with every sinew of our being. And that would mean a three-line whip,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“It’s not whether I would be disappointed. It’s what the party and the country would think. I think this is about the country, this is more than about individuals, this is more than about matters of party management. The country and certainly Labour party supporters are looking to the party to oppose these airstrikes because they don’t think it’s the answer.”

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