No 10 Lobbying Labour MPs On Syria Airstrikes

Downing Street officials and ministers are lobbying Labour MPs this weekend in an attempt to win support for military intervention in Syria.

Despite Jeremy Corbyn's opposition, the Labour Party is likely to have a free vote in parliament, leaving the task of convincing wavering MPs to the Government.

A senior No 10 source told Sky News: "Discussions are continuing over the weekend. We're ready to speak to MPs and try to answer questions they have."

Senior Labour MPs like Yvette Cooper have complained they have not been given detailed briefings, which "makes it very difficult for MPs" to respond to whatever form the government's motion takes.

It comes as Mr Corbyn has emailed Labour Party members to ask whether they think parliament should vote to authorise airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria.

The leader's consultation on what Britain should do comes amid speculation that MPs could vote on the issue next week.

In the message sent on Friday night, Mr Corbyn wrote: "We have all been horrified by the despicable attacks in Paris and are determined to see ISIS defeated.

"The issue now is whether what the Prime Minister is proposing strengthens, or undermines, our national security.

"I do not believe that the Prime Minister made a convincing case that British airstrikes on Syria would strengthen our national security or reduce the threat from ISIS."

Mr Corbyn, who wants members to give their thoughts on the airstrikes by the start of next week, is facing a shadow cabinet revolt over the issue.

Many of his MPs have expressed shock at his opposition to bombing IS targets, while some are accusing him of a "failure of leadership".

No 10, however, refuses to be drawn on when the vote might take place, adding: "If we don't think we have the numbers, we won't call a vote. We don't want to hand ISIL a publicity coup."

David Cameron said of possible airstrikes: "I think there's a compelling case that taking military action alongside our allies can help to address the threat of ISIL. It's been working in Iraq where we have shrunken the territory of ISIL and it can work too in Syria."

He also noted "it's not about UK ground troops".

The Prime Minister went on: "We don't believe we can solve this problem through military action alone.

"We need to bring the full force of our political and diplomatic strategy and the vital reconstruction work that we would do after the war in Syria is over."

Labour backbencher John Woodcock has warned it had been a bad week for Labour and the party must now "set that right".

He also dismissed calls for Labour moderates to keep tensions with the leadership private.

"Let me be absolutely clear... I do accept the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour Party. He won a substantial mandate. But that does not mean all of us take a vow of silence of how we conduct ourselves as a party.

"Aside from the question of how these next few days go, which is really important, we do have a big question to face as a party - do we want to face outwards to the public, to be a credible opposition to the Conservatives, or do we want essentially to become a pressure group for a particular point of view?"

Shadow minister Clive Lewis, a supporter of Mr Corbyn, agreed that the vote on military action is a "matter of conscience".

But he added: "There are people within the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) who, quite simply put, have not accepted the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. I think that is a very separate matter.

"When he says shambles, I know for example that during the shadow cabinet meeting there were people who were texting and briefing journalists.

"That doesn't imply to me that there was discipline... There is a collective responsibility here for that shambles."

Meanwhile, a poll suggests that the British public backs airstrikes in Syria by a margin of 48% to 30%.

But the research, by Survation for the Daily Mirror, found the remainder are undecided - and 59% believe the move would increase the risk of terrorist attacks in the UK.