Advertisement

Syria Airstrikes: Corbyn Told To 'Get A Grip'

Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of a "failure" of leadership and told to "get a grip" by one of his own MPs after saying he cannot support airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria.

Simon Danczuk told Sky News he found it "perplexing" that Mr Corbyn had issued a letter outlining his opposition - before the shadow cabinet had adopted a position on the issue - and a matter of hours after they had met to discuss the topic.

He said: "It's not what you call good, strong leadership, it's what you call a failure of leadership."

Mr Danczuk, who represents Rochdale, added: "We stagger from one crisis to another, not so much on a weekly basis, but almost on a daily basis. We can't really go on like this."

:: Shadow Cabinet Anger Over Shock Corbyn Letter

When asked if he thought Mr Corbyn should resign, he responded: "Well, I don't think we're at that stage, but what he does need to do is get a grip, provide some strong leadership."

The move means Mr Corbyn is facing a possible shadow cabinet revolt when the issue comes to a vote in the Commons, as is expected to be the case in the near future.

Sky's Senior Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said that only four members of the shadow cabinet explicitly backed Mr Corbyn's stance at Thursday's meeting, while 15 spoke out against it.

She said members of the shadow cabinet were not given advance warning about the letter, and the last they heard was that they would get the weekend to think about it, before reconvening on Monday.

:: PM Urges MPs To 'Do The Right Thing' On Syria

The letter has angered some who see it as an attempt to pre-empt that meeting - where a position is expected to be agreed - while appealing over the head of MPs to the grass roots members who swept Mr Corbyn to the leadership.

The prospect of resignations has been raised, with one frontbencher telling Sky News he will resign his portfolio if he is forced to vote against military action.

And one senior party source claimed allowing a free vote would also be a bad move, saying it would represent a "resignation letter to the country".

Deputy leader Tom Watson said that while he was not aware Mr Corbyn was going to send the letter, he was "in his right to do so as he's our leader".

He said he supported the view of shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn - who said there was a "compelling" case for launching airstrikes in Syria - putting him at odds with Mr Corbyn.

Shadow justice secretary Lord Falconer told Sky News he "does not think there is any question of resignations", while shadow chancellor John McDonnell has appealed for calm, saying the party is "working through the issues".

Mr Corbyn earlier pulled out of a planned visit to campaign in the Oldham West by-election in order to deal with the situation.

It comes after Mr Cameron made his case in the Commons for extending military action against IS, which has been the subject of RAF airstrikes in Iraq since last year.

Mr Corbyn said in his letter that while he is "determined to see the defeat" of IS, he did not believe the PM has made a "convincing case" for airstrikes.

Mr Cameron has urged wavering MPs to back military action in the wake of Mr Corbyn's letter being published, telling them to "vote on the basis of the arguments".

The Prime Minister has said there will be no vote until he is assured there is a clear majority in favour.

And with some Conservative MPs still opposed to the plans, he may need support from a significant number of Labour members to ensure victory.