British Prime Minister David Cameron says a one-day debate will be held in parliament on Wednesday on whether his country will commence airstrikes against Daesh in Syria.
"I can announce that I will be recommending to cabinet tomorrow that we hold a debate and a vote in the House of Commons to extend the airstrikes," he said, referring to Britain's current air campaign as part of a US-led coalition against purported Daesh positions in Iraq.
"I believe there's growing support across parliament for the compelling case there is to answer the call from our allies, to act against Daesh in Syria and in Iraq," he said in a televised statement on Monday.
Cameron also denied a request made earlier by UK Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn to hold a full two-day debate on the subject.
“As has happened previously a one-day debate would inevitably lead to important contributions being curtailed. It is incumbent on us all to ensure the country feels there has been the fullest parliamentary discussion of what you have rightly described as a highly complex situation,” Corbyn wrote in a letter to Cameron.
Meanwhile, Corbyn told members of parliament that they are free to vote on the subject of bombing Syria – a move that strays from a tradition in which British party leaders dictated what members should vote during major debates.
Since August 2014, the United States and some of its allies have been conducting airstrikes against what they say are Daesh positions in Iraq. Since last September, some members of the US-led coalition have also been pounding purported Daesh positions inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.
However, the airstrikes have not dislodged the Daesh terrorists and have reportedly caused huge collateral damage and civilian deaths.