PM Criticised Over 'Terrorist Sympathisers' Jibe

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has dismissed suggestions David Cameron's "terrorist sympathisers" comments have jeopardised the Syria airstrikes vote.

The Prime Minister sparked an angry backlash after telling Conservative MPs not to side with Jeremy Corbyn and "terrorist sympathisers" by opposing airstrikes.

Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson, who says there is a "compelling" case for further military action and is expected to vote in favour of strikes against Islamic State, demanded Mr Cameron apologise for his comments.

"The Prime Minister should retract and apologise for these remarks, which are disrespectful to those MPs who have a different view to him," he said.

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It sparked claims the Prime Minister's jibe would put the chance of winning the vote this evening in the House of Commons under threat.

However, Mr Hammond dismissed the suggestion and told Sky News although he was not in the room when Mr Cameron made the comments he "imagined he had in his mind some very serious comments" made recently by senior Labour politicians.

Labour veteran Ken Livingstone, who is in charge of the party's defence review, last week blamed the 7/7 London terrorist attacks on Tony Blair and said the bombers "gave their lives" for a cause they believed in.

Mr Hammond made the case for airstrikes and said: "This is a fight that we are already in. It is a fight that we cannot avoid because Isil Daesh (Islamic State) is already targeting us."

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He said the UK had to take the fight to IS before the terrorists "bring the fight to us as they did with the French people in Paris".

It comes as public support for airstrikes against IS in Syria is waning.

A YouGov survey for The Times found the proportion in favour dropping from 59% to 48%.

It also showed those against rising from 20% to 31% with undecideds unchanged on 21%.

MPs will take part in a 10-hour Commons session later on whether to support the Prime Minister's case for joining our international allies.

Around a dozen Conservative MPs could defy the party whip, along with 54 Scottish National Party members and the majority of the Labour Party to vote against military action.

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But up to 50 Labour MPs - including shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn - are expected to back strikes despite a furious backlash from anti-war campaigners and opposition from leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The Democratic Unionists and the Liberal Democrats are also backing airstrikes - which could give the Government the majority needed.

Mr Cameron last week set out his strategy as a direct response to a highly-critical assessment by the foreign affairs select committee.

But it voted on Tuesday by four to three that he "has not adequately addressed concerns" in key areas.

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And at least 110 MPs from six different parties have signed up to an amendment seeking to block airstrikes - led by foreign affairs select member John Baron and the SNP's Westminster leader Angus Robertson.

Alex Salmond told Sky News he believed the Government was engaged in a desperate "dash to bombing" because it feared opposition was growing to intervention in Syria.

The majority would be "less than expected" he predicted - and did not entirely rule out a shock result if the debate swung wavering MPs against the PM's position.

Downing Street said: "We will leave predictions to others. The PM believes there is a compelling case for action and we will make that case in the Commons."

Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn told Sky News "more and more" Labour MPs were becoming sceptical about the proposals and said there was "no hiding place" after he agreed to the free vote.

Any bombing would cause civilian casualties, he argued.

:: Watch coverage of the Syria airstrikes debate and vote in the House of Commons live on Sky News throughout the day.