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MPs Vote To Extend Air Strikes To Syria

RAF Tornado GR4 All-Weather Attack Aircraft

British politicians have voted in favour of the RAF carrying out bombing missions in Syria.

It follows a marathon debate in the House of Commons in which over 150 MPs presented their cases for and against the expansion of air-strikes.

The vote passed after a number of Labour MPs chose not to follow the lead of Jeremy Corbyn in opposing the expansion of military action.

The SNP also voted against but Mr Cameron still secured the majority he wanted. That despite a small number of Conservative MPs, including some who had previously served in the Armed Forces speaking against air-strikes in Syria - insisting that a political and diplomatic solution, backed by significant ground forces would be a more credible alternative.

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With the backing of Parliament it means an airstrike on Syria could happen within a matter of hours - either carried out by an RAF Tornado flying from RAF Akrotiri or by a Reaper drone.

The attacking combination have hit an estimated 400 Daesh (Islamic State) targets in the last 12 months - all bar one in Iraq.

The strike force based in Cyprus is now likely to be further bolstered with several Tornados and Typhoon ground attack aircraft armed with Brimstone and Paveway guided bombs respectively.

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What real difference the outcome of the vote will make to the fight against Daesh remains a matter for debate. Among those questioning the British capacity is the former Republican presidential candidate John McCain who remarked: "We will have some token aircraft over there from the British and they'll drop a few bombs, and we'll say thank you very much.”

“The President will be able to say 'now we have the British who will be helping us', and that's good."

The fallout from the vote will however be felt not just in Syria but also within the UK's political parties. The Prime Minister's refusal to apologise to those he branded "terrorist sympathisers" for voting against the motion will not be forgotten anytime soon. Neither will the fact that several senior Labour Party figures ignored calls to stand united, choosing instead to very publicly defy their leader Jeremy Corbyn.

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Forces TV's audience, meanwhile, has spoken on the issue. In an FTV poll, 82.4% of those who voted said they would support the UK performing airstrikes in Syria, with 17.6% opposed. Of the 816 overall votes, 669 were in favour, and 143 against.