Hull North MP Diana Johnson has sent the following message to Hull North Constituents who have contacted her about the Commons debate on Syria held on 29 August.
I have received a number of views from constituents on the situation in Syria, the vast majority opposed to action at this time.
Having considered these views very carefully, I share the view that military action in Syria is not justified at present.
Unfortunately, I was unable to be in Westminster last Thursday for the debate on Syria because I am one of the UK delegates to the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Annual Conference in South Africa.
This is an important conference of parliamentarians from around the world,to which I have been committed to attendinf for several months.
I am sure that you will appreciate that a strong Commonwealth is important for our foreign policy and plays an important role in
diplomacy.
Sadly, by the time the nature of the recall was known and that there was to be a motion and a vote, it proved impossible to get a flight
that could have got me back to Westminster in time for the vote on Thursday night.
In any event, as a Labour MP I was paired with a Conservative MP, who was also unable to attend the vote. Pairing is a 'gentlemen's
agreement' between the parties for occasions when MPs have to travel abroad on business and means that neither the Labour nor the
Conservative MP vote. and therefore the outcome of the vote should be the same as had both been present.
My Position on Syria
Had I been able to be in Westminster last Thursday, I would have supported the position of the Labour Party and voted against military
action at this time.
I share the widespread horror at what is going on in Syria and the huge suffering endured by the Syrian people. Indeed, I saw this
first-hand on a visit to a refugee camp in Jordan in April 2012. It is heartbreaking to know that nearly 18 months on the humanitarian
situation in these camps and inside Syria has deteriorated substantially.
Since my visit I have raised the humanitarian situation in Syria six times in the House of Commons - with the Prime Minister, Foreign
Secretary and International Development Secretary. I will continue to do so now that Parliament has returned. The record of these exchanges,
along with all my other work in Parliament, can be found here http://www.theyworkforyou.com/search/?pid=11647&pop=1#n4.
However, while I hope for the transition to a stable democratic government in Syria, I agree with you that it is unclear how Western
military action would further this goal. Indeed, I do not see how immediate military action could improve the humanitarian situation.
The reason that the Labour Party, and many Conservative backbenchers, opposed military action last week was not because we are indifferent
to what is happening in Syria, nor because we believe that Britain shouldn't involve itself, but because the UK Government are yet to
make a case as to how military action could deter Assad from using chemical weapons without drawing Britain deeper into a desperate
situation where our action would be as likely to inflame the situation as help.
I think that Parliament showed last week that the UK should be focusing on peaceful and diplomatic measures. As Ed Miliband said in
the House of Commons last week evidence must precede a decision on any military action, and we must give the UN time to conclude their
investigations and debate the findings.
If the Syrian Government has used chemical weapons, as is looking increasingly likely, then they have committed one of the gravest
possible breaches of international law. I think it is right that the international community responds to this.
The UK should be trying to build international consensus to do this and while the position of Russia makes this difficult, military action
is not the first answer.
Defence Cuts
Even if the case for UK military intervention in Syria at this time was more persuasive, I would still be concerned that cuts that have
taken place to our armed forces and security services under the Coalition would make it more difficult to cope with the aftermath.
Our armed forces do not have the capacity of ten years ago. This is not so much to do with our initial contribution to any military
action, but dealing with any escalation of the conflict and also protecting the UK against future terrorist threats.
What now?
It is very important that the UK Government do not use last week's parliamentary vote as an excuse to wash their hands of Syria: we must
continue to support humanitarian work and push for a diplomatic solution, however difficult.
This is what I will be pushing for as your MP and I would like it to start with a concerted effort from the UK Government at the G20
meeting next week where David Cameron will be meeting world leaders, including President Putin of Russia.