MPs should use their own judgment on whether to support airstrikes againstIslamic State in Syria, the shadow chancellor has said in the latest sign the Labour leadership will allow a free vote on the issue.
John McDonnell, one of Jeremy Corbyn’s closest allies, denied the party was divided over the issue, saying many were struggling to get used to the new politics where people could “honestly express their views”.
But he went on to endorse the idea of giving Labour MPs a free vote, adding that the “horrendous mistake” of the Iraq war had been partly due to MPs being “whipped and threatened and pushed” into supporting “something many of them did not believe in”.
McDonnell said on BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions: “I don’t believe that is acceptable. There are some issues, like going to war, that should be above party politics, and I think we are moving to a situation where, hopefully, in all parties on issues like this, a moral conscience should be above the whip as well.
“On certain issues, the ones really above party politics, we have got to have mature politics in our democracy now. This is a matter of conscience. You are sending people out possibly to die. There shouldn’t be any party discipline on matters like this. You should follow your own judgment on what you think is best for the constituency and the country.”
No comments:
Post a Comment