UK’s Labour Party to bloc armed action in Syria

Britain's Labour Party today confirmed that it will vote against the principle of military intervention in Syria after the government published legal advice supporting action.

According to documents published by 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister David Cameron's official residence and office, Britain would be justified in launching a targeted strike on humanitarian grounds, even if Russia and China block an agreement at the United Nations.

Evidence from the UK's Joint Intelligence Committee found that a chemical weapons attack did occur in Damascus last week and it is "highly likely" that Bashar al-Assad's regime was responsible.

But Labour wants "compelling evidence" before committing its support for the government's approach. A party spokesperson said, "We have been having increasing doubts about the opaque nature of the government's motion. It does not mention anything about compelling evidence."

A No 10 Downing Street spokeswoman said, "The judgment of the joint intelligence committee is that a chemical weapons attack did occur in Damascus last week … and that no opposition group has the capability to conduct a chemical weapons attack on this scale.

''The government's position on the legality of any action makes clear that if action in the UN Security Council (UNSC) is blocked, the UK would still be permitted, under the doctrine of humanitarian intervention, to take exceptional measures, including targeted military intervention, in order to alleviate the overwhelming humanitarian suffering in Syria."

The attack on the eastern suburbs of Damascus "amounts to a war crime and a crime against humanity", according to the document setting out the government's legal position.

But the legal basis for military action would be on humanitarian grounds to relieve the suffering of the Syrian population by "deterring or disrupting the further use of chemical weapons", it adds.