Syria: UK Will Not Take Part In Military Action

David Cameron has been forced to rule out military action against Syria after a shock Commons defeat dealt a major blow to his authority.

A Government motion calling for a strong humanitarian response which may have included military strikes was narrowly rejected by 272 votes to 285.

Thirty Tory rebels and nine Liberal Democrats joined with Labour to inflict a humiliating defeat on the Prime Minister.

After the historic vote, Mr Cameron said: "I strongly believe in the need for a tough response to the use of chemical weapons but I also believe in respecting the will of this House of Commons.

"It is clear to me the British Parliament does not want to see British military action. I get that and the Government will act accordingly."

Labour leader Ed Miliband accused the Prime Minister of trying to "bypass the United Nations" and claimed MPs had reacted to his "cavalier and reckless" leadership.

He insisted there would have been nothing worse for the world than Britain pursuing "ill-thought through action" which lacked international support.

But Tory high command was furious. Education Secretary Michael Gove was heard shouting "disgrace, you're a disgrace" at Conservative and Liberal Democrat rebels following the vote.

The Scottish National Party's Westminster leader Angus Robertson told Sky News he watched as the minister had to be "persuaded to calm down".

The result will dismay allies in Washington and elsewhere seeking a wide coalition of support for air strikes to punish the Assad regime.

Anti-war protesters outside Parliament during the debate

Caitlin Hayden, Barack Obama's national security council spokeswoman, said the US would continue to consult with Britain, "one of our closest allies and friends".

The president's decisions would be based on "the best interests of the United States", she added - raising speculation that the US may launch unilateral military action within days.

"He believes that there are core interests at stake for the US and that countries who violate international norms regarding chemical weapons need to be held accountable," she said.

Conservative rebel MP Adam Holloway said: "I feel sorry for David Cameron personally because I know the guy is very sincere on this.

"To me what matters here is not so much the arithmetic of the vote but that it is much less likely now that we won't be intervening in a horrible civil war that is fast becoming a regional conflict. Outrage isn't a strategy."

General Lord Dannatt, former head of the British Army, described the vote as a "victory for common sense" and said the "drumbeat for war" had dwindled among the British public in recent days.

In the Commons, Mr Cameron promised he would not use the Royal prerogative to order the UK to be part of military action before another vote.

There were claims that a number of ministers had not taken part in the vote because they were involved in meetings and failed to hear the division bell.

UN inspectors investigating the attack this week

Sky's Adam Boulton said: "It's a major embarrassment (for David Cameron). His authority and judgement are going to be called severely into question."

The Prime Minister had already been forced to water down his position by Labour and promise direct British involvement would require a second vote.

A Labour amendment calling for military action only after UN inspectors reported and the Security Council had voted was rejected shortly before Mr Cameron lost the main vote.

Earlier, he made a passionate plea for MPs' support for military action, calling last week's chemical weapons attack in Damascus "abhorrent".

He admitted it was not possible to be 100% certain the Assad regime was behind the atrocity but said he had been convinced by the evidence available.

The "sickening human suffering" it had caused could not be ignored, he insisted, while also seeking to reassure MPs "this is not like Iraq" in 2003.

He warned "decades of painstaking work" would be undone if there was no international action.

"The global consensus against the use of chemical weapons will be fatally unravelled, a 100-year taboo would be breached," he warned.

UN weapons inspectors are due to finish their work on Friday and will report directly to UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon within 24 hours.

But their conclusions will not apportion blame - they will only set out the evidence on whether a chemical attack happened or not.

UN weapons experts are escorted to the site of the alleged gas attack

Permanent members of the UN Security Council - the UK, America, France, Russia and China - met for an hour to discuss the situation on Thursday.

The UK has tabled a draft resolution seeking approval for military action.

But Moscow, a key ally of Assad, is opposed to any military intervention and with China has vetoed all previous attempts to secure resolutions critical of the regime.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad has vowed the country would "defend itself in the face of any aggression".

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