Labour MPs are to get a free vote on whether airstrikes should be extended to Syria, with Jeremy Corbyn and Hilary Benn expected to adopt opposing positions in any Commons debate on the issue.
At a heated meeting of the shadow cabinet on Monday afternoon Corbyn agreed to a free vote – a decision that emerged just before the meeting started. It followed a weekend of discussion with Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson.
However, a proposal that the shadow cabinet should agree that it was party policy to oppose airstrikes, and to assert this was in line with a conference motion passed in September, was thrown out.
Shadow cabinet members said the offer of a free vote for Labour MPs would be severely diluted if there was also a statement saying party policy opposed airstrikes.
At one point in the meeting Benn, the shadow foreign secretary, said he would not be able to speak from the frontbench if the party had a formal policy to oppose airstrikes. Instead, he would have insisted on the right to speak from the backbenches.
Following the meeting, it was agreed that Corbyn would open the debate opposing airstrikes. Meanwhile, Benn, at the close of the debate, would support it.
Cameron is expected make a statement outlining how he intends to proceed on Monday evening.
The Ministry of Defence has been told by some Labour MPs that about 60 MPs are willing to support airstrikes but that number might rise if the defence secretary allows time for a two-day debate and makes a serious effort to address Labour MPs’ concerns.
A senior Labour source said Labour MPs’ concerns were on points of genuine detail and were not an excuse to oppose airstrikes. The source suggested it might be necessary for MPs to be given as long as a fortnight for their issues to be addressed.
At the meeting, Corbyn’s team tried to defer the decision on how it would handle the issue of current party policy, but members of the shadow cabinet said they would not leave the room until a collective decision had been agreed.
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