I voted with my conscience and, I believe, having listened to them on this subject, with very many of my constituents. I would like to thank those constituents who took the trouble to e-mail or call me with their views; from these I knew that there is absolutely no appetite for British military action in Syria. I also listened carefully to the debate in the House, but there were too many unanswered questions – What does a good outcome look like and how can it be achieved? What is the risk of collateral damage? What is the risk of the conflict escalating across an even wider region?
We simply do not know what repercussions may result from a military intervention in Syria – and I do not want to see our servicemen and women drawn into another Iraq or Afghanistan.
We are not ‘standing idly by’ whilst people suffer in Syria – we have provided over £300m of humanitarian aid and this is continuing – that I fully support.”
