Emily Thornberry,
Shadow Foreign Secretary, responding to reports that the Tories are planning a
vote on Syria if re-elected, said:

“Now
the truth is out. A vote for the Tories is a vote to escalate the war in Syria
and prolong the suffering of its people; to risk open conflict between our
armed forces and those of Russia and Iran; and to follow Donald Trump’s lead
with blind loyalty, no matter where it takes us, and no matter what our other
allies think. In short, it is a vote to repeat the mistakes of Iraq from a
Prime Minister who just last weekend refused to accept that she got Iraq wrong.

"Instead
of this headlong rush to war, the British government should be working flat out
through the United Nations to support the current talks on de-escalation of the
conflict, with a view to creating a permanent ceasefire, a political solution
and a lasting peace. That is what the Syrian people need, not Theresa May’s
secret plans to escalate the war.

"These
reports also reveal that – even on matters of peace and war – Tory MPs cannot
be trusted to think independently and do what is best for the country. This
increasingly authoritarian Prime Minister just sees them as voting fodder, and
if they are prepared to back her rush to war, they will also surely vote for a
chaotic Brexit and the dismantling of our NHS. The only way to stop them is to
vote Labour.”