Air strikes in Syria against ISIL backed by Arundel and South Downs MP

The House of Commons is debating plans for military intervention today, and could lead to the UK joining the US, France, Russia and others in bombing targets in the Middle East country.

This comes weeks after terrorist attacks in Paris left 130 people dead and hundreds injured.

Before today’s debate Mr Herbert said: “Military action must be part of a wider strategy to eliminate ISIL and begin a peace process in Syria which sees Assad stand down. But peace requires ISIL to be beaten back.

“It is argued that, after the Iraq War and action in Afghanistan and Libya, intervention can never be successful. But we must learn from the mistakes following military action, not make the far bigger mistake of ignoring those who slaughter their own citizens or threaten us.

“ISIL’s extremism has inflicted unimaginable cruelty on Syrian and Iraqi citizens: punishment cages in town squares; the execution of women they consider too old to be sold as sex slaves; gay men thrown from buildings.

“To those who say this isn’t our war, I ask them to remember the attack on Paris. The waves of desperate refugees from Syria who are arriving at Europe’s border also show that we cannot insulate ourselves from what is happening in the Middle East.

“For all these reasons, I will certainly vote for military action.”

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