Iraq: Coalition Against ISIL

Let me answer that very directly: this mission will take not just months, but years, and I believ...

The Prime Minister has said on a number of occasions in this House that we face a long-term gener...

I absolutely commit to doing that and we have to do it not just in Britain, but right around the ...

The Prime Minister places his trust in the Iraqi army. The problem is that, having caused this me...

To be absolutely direct, I am not claiming that by air strikes alone we can roll back this proble...

Does the Prime Minister agree that the Iraqi Government need a political strategy to win over Sun...

In answer to the first part of my right hon. Friend’s question, that is absolutely essential. A l...

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I am going to make a little progress with my speech and then I will take several more interventio...

Will the Prime Minister say more about the vital subject of trying to change the nature of govern...

To be frank, what Syria needs is what Iraq needs: an inclusive, democratic Government that repres...

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I will give way to my right hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) an...

I am sure that we are all grateful for the recall of Parliament and the opportunity to debate thi...

As my right hon. Friend knows, we have supported the Syrian National Coalition and the Free Syria...

Does the Prime Minister accept that without the Iraqi army being able to take and hold ground, th...

I would disagree with my hon. Friend on the basis that the air action that has already been taken...

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Let me make some progress on why I believe military action is necessary before taking more interv...

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I give way to the former Secretary of State for Defence.

There is a problem in Iraq, though, that we need to recognise. It is not just political and it is...

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. That is the conversation we are having with the Ira...

The Kurdish President is on record as saying that the Kurds do not want British servicemen and wo...

My hon. Friend is spot on. The Iraqi Prime Minister was very frank in his requests to me. He said...

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Let me give way to my hon. Friend the Member for New Forest East (Dr Lewis) and then I will make ...

I am glad that the Prime Minister seems to accept that air strikes alone cannot hope to be succes...

My hon. Friend makes an important point but we should tread carefully here. We are proposing to a...

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I will take more interventions, I promise, but I want to answer this question, which is whether i...

Will the Prime Minister recognise that killing extremists does not kill their ideas? On the contr...

With respect to the hon. Lady, we are taking those diplomatic initiatives. My right hon. Friend t...

Many of those who we have heard speak against the action, and some of those who have contacted me...

My hon. Friend is right. What we have to weigh up are, of course, the consequences of action. Tha...

ISIS, indeed, is made up of murderous psychopaths; that is not the issue. We know that. The quest...

I will come on to why this is different to the decision the House made in 2003 about Iraq, but th...

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I promise the House that I will give way more. I want to leave plenty of time for other contribut...

On the question of the legal principle, clearly there is one given the consent from the Iraqi Gov...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There are a variety of legal arguments that can be deployed. ...

Muslims around the world have made it clear that ISIL has nothing to do with Islam; it is an evil...

All these conversations were taking place this week at the UN General Assembly, and one of the mo...

I am listening closely to what the Prime Minister is saying. He has talked about the internationa...

What I can be clear about, having spoken to them, is that both the Kurdish leaders in Iraq and th...

I support the Prime Minister’s motion. I also think that, in the end, we will have to deal with I...

No, no. To be absolutely clear, the right hon. Gentleman heard me right the first time round. If ...

It is very good that this House debates and votes before action happens. May I press the Prime Mi...

No. The reason for choosing the words “combat troops” is very important. Of course, when we, for ...

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I give way to the hon. Gentleman from Birmingham.

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I am grateful—[Laughter.] We are both from Birmingham; we get everywhere.

I am grateful to ...

The hon. Gentleman raises an important point. We have a very advanced aid programme. Britain is t...

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I want to make some progress with my speech, and I will then take some more interventions.

...

General Dannatt hinted today on television that we may well need to use ground forces at the end ...

I have said that we will come back to the House if, for instance, we make the decision that we sh...

Does the Prime Minister agree that the wording of the motion before the House today was carefully...

I say to my hon. Friend that we live in a robust democracy where this House of Commons frequently...

I thank the Prime Minister. He has rightly talked about defeating ISIL militarily and politically...

The hon. Lady is absolutely spot on with that point. There are a number of things that we need to...

I thank the Prime Minister for giving way. I was going to make a point about ensuring that we can...

My hon. Friend is right. Part of the reason why ISIL has got hold of so much funding is because i...

I thank the Prime Minister for giving way. Does he agree that if we are serious about tackling ji...

What I would say to my hon. Friend is that we need to have this very direct conversation with eve...

I rise to support the Government motion concerning military action against ISIL in Iraq. It is ri...

Will the right hon. Gentleman also clarify Labour’s position with regard to the politics? Many of...

I understand the hon. Gentleman’s long-held caution on these issues, but the point I will make is...

The Leader of the Opposition mentioned hostages. David Haines was brought up and educated in Pert...

The hon. Gentleman spoke with great eloquence on this issue. In a way, it tells us all we need to...

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for giving way and for his support—this time—for the Go...

I do want to deal with this very directly, if the House will give me permission. I want to be ver...

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I want to make some progress with my argument, if the House will allow me.

ISIL is not simp...

As one who voted on 18 March 2003 against the war in Iraq, may I ask whether my right hon. Friend...

That is an important point. I shall come to it later, but let me say now that, while some people ...

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the Government have a moral obligation to help the Iraqi...

If I may say so, I think the hon. Gentleman did himself no credit with that intervention.

L...

Does my right hon. Friend agree that, if the outcome is to be greater stability, and if it requir...

My hon. Friend has made a really important point. It is incredibly important that we mobilise all...

The right hon. Gentleman has referred to a broader coalition. Does he, like me, welcome the fact ...

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. This is not a clash of civilisations. The vast, vast majo...

I congratulate my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister on what has been said so far today. It...

My hon. Friend makes an incredibly important point. I will play my part—as I am sure will he and ...

The Prime Minister argued that this was a generational struggle, but only last year in this House...

As we are, on this occasion, seeking the unity of the House, it is incredibly important that we d...

Does my right hon. Friend recall that, fairly recently, this House and the international communit...

My right hon. Friend speaks incredibly powerfully. In the examples he cited, many of us may feel ...

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right in supporting this motion, but may I press him on our ro...

I agree that it is right to speak out on these issues—and to speak out without fear or favour—and...

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I want to move on if I may to the third part of my remarks.

Some people might accept the cr...

Does my right hon. Friend agree that our failure to reconstruct Iraq properly after the war actua...

I completely agree with my hon. Friend about our responsibilities, and indeed our responsibilitie...

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I will not give way again.

The late Robin Cook said this in his resignation speech on the e...

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On a point of order, Mr Speaker. You will have noticed that the House is very full. My constituen...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman. As far as I can see, the camera crew is certainly not interf...

I congratulate the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition on the constructive and measur...

My right hon. Friend makes an important point. One of the most powerful weapons that IS has been ...

I agree with my hon. Friend. I think he has answered his own intervention. I think the Government...

The right hon. Gentleman makes a very important point. An important part of all this, alongside t...

I agree with the hon. Gentleman; indeed, he anticipates what I am coming to in my speech.

T...

Will my right hon. Friend give way?

I will not, if my hon. Friend does not mind.

We have long encouraged the Arab states to get...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

I will not, if the hon. Gentleman does not mind.

Strategically, it makes sense to bolster m...

Although I support the motion authorising military strikes on ISIL in Iraq, and although I fully ...

Does my right hon. Friend also accept that the intervention in 2003 was welcomed by a lot of the ...

I agree absolutely.

Even Libya, supposedly a surgical operation consented to by this House ...

In supporting the motion, as I think broadly we are across the House, does the right hon. Gentlem...

Indeed. We tried to, but the Americans took no notice, frankly.

In the Syrian horror from w...

I do not think there is any significant controversy about the moral and legal case for what is pr...

Given that one of the principles of counter-insurgency is to deny the enemy a home base, is it no...

I agree with my hon. Friend. President Obama has been quite open that the alliance we are joining...

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Will my right hon. and learned Friend give way?

No. I have no time; I am sorry.

We did not create extremist jihadism; we did not create the...

Before I make my contribution today, I want us all to take a moment to think about and to pray fo...

I associate myself entirely, as I am sure the House does, with my right hon. Friend’s remarks abo...

My hon. Friend, as ever, makes a good point. There can be absolutely no doubt that Alan was there...

Like lots of other people, I think we may well end up having to go into Syria as well, but if tha...

My hon. Friend makes an absolutely relevant point. I think that most of us who have been involved...

Will my right hon. Friend put on record her interest in the work of the Active Change Foundation ...

I am delighted to place on record my appreciation for that organisation and my hon. Friend’s comm...

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I usually give way to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr Mahmood), but I am...

I, too, remember the speech made by Robin Cook in 2003. I remember it with great admiration and p...

Given that air strikes alone will not achieve victory over ISIS, who has the plans and the determ...

That, I hope, is the product of the alliance that the United States, through President Obama and ...

Will the right hon. and learned Gentleman give way?

No, I am afraid that I must move on.

The circumstances faced by Iraq are such that its very...

Order.

12.13 pm

It is so easy to despair. In politics, especially, how often do we obsess about small differences...

During the past 20 years, the position of the United Nations has shifted, and it now places a res...

I will say more about internationalism shortly. Some people will say that the conflict is not our...

Does not my hon. Friend accept that no one is talking about walking away? The only argument is ov...

As I have said, in answering the question of whether we should do anything or nothing, we have to...

Order. There is quite a persistent chatter in the House, which is, frankly, discourteous. All col...

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

We were able to help a handful of the most vulnerable people from Sy...

The threats that ISIL poses are very clear. The humanitarian outrages that it has already perpetr...

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that countries, including Turkey, Cyprus and others, in the r...

It is the duty of all those who wish to see international order maintained to do everything in th...

My right hon. Friend is making an important point about the economic levers that need to be deplo...

I agree. Not only are those countries funders, but ideologically they give succour and support to...

Does my right hon. Friend agree that when ISIS, or ISIL, is defeated in Syria, it is important to...

There is no doubt that the situation in Syria is complex and difficult. My point was simply that,...

Will my right hon. Friend give way on that point?

No.

We need to be clear in this country that we cannot disengage from the global threats th...

There is little time, so I will try to deal with just some of the issues. Clearly, we have needs,...

Is the hon. Gentleman in any way perturbed by the open-ended nature of this motion?

It is a reality; I am perturbed by it, but I also recognise the fact that it is the realpolitik. ...

My hon. Friend knows about these things. Is it not a fact that this whole debate, and all the bui...

The truth is that to put six jets in the air takes a lot more than six people—I tell the House th...

I shall be very brief.

First, I applaud the tone and measure of the Prime Minister’s speech...

The threat posed by the barbarism, brutality and savagery of ISIL is not merely a threat to the S...

Does my right hon. Friend agree that any decision to take military action is not one that will be...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his intervention. Clearly, the dangers are great for our serv...

Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that if the House had voted last year to go into Syria, or t...

The hon. Gentleman is right to say that the situation then may have led to the consequences that ...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

No, I cannot give way because I have used up all the interventions.

Despite what we have sa...

I support the motion, but I am not under any illusions about the risks and difficulties involved....

I have been listening carefully to what the hon. Lady has said and to the rest of the debate, and...

The hon. Gentleman is right that the threat to civilian life is so much greater from inaction tha...

I agree with the remark that the hon. Lady has just made in what has been a thoughtful speech, bu...

I agree with my hon. Friend. That is absolutely a priority, and it should not be instead of but a...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I fear I cannot, because of the time. I am sorry.

Nowhere is Lord Salisbury’s second point ...

The immediate decision before us in this debate is about military action, but behind that, this i...

Is it not also the case that there was a plot against the World Trade Centre in the 1990s, that t...

My hon. Friend makes a good point. It is worth stressing that the United States Administration’s ...

I just want to query the hon. Gentleman’s history. What is the connection between the twin towers...

The point I am making is that violent Islamic jihadism was around long before the decision in 200...

I support the motion today, ever conscious, as we all should be, of the young men and women who w...

Just to illustrate some of the complications of the situation, if indeed we do bring Iran back in...

My hon. Friend is right that the relationships are very complex, but that argument must not be an...

The right hon. Gentleman was a distinguished International Development Secretary in a previous in...

The hon. Gentleman pre-empts a point that I will come on to later.

My second point that Bri...

Will my right hon. Friend give way?

I am afraid that I cannot.

We must ensure that people know that there is a plan that will p...

Mr Speaker, time does not permit me to tell you how many millions of times “I told you so” is cur...

Does the hon. Gentleman understand how appalled people will be to hear him say that women who hav...

They don’t like it up them, Mr Speaker. They would rather have an imaginary debate, moving around...

I am sure we are all ever so grateful for the lecture, but what is the hon. Gentleman’s solution ...

Now that I have an extra minute, thanks to the hon. Lady, I will be able to tell her.

This ...

I thank the hon. Gentleman very much for giving way, but will he please bring us towards his solu...

In five minutes it is difficult, but we have to strengthen those who are already fighting ISIL. W...

I believe that when Members think of ISIS, they think of a foreign fighter, dressed in black, hol...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I would love to.

What the hon. Gentleman seems to be forgetting is that we have been invited and requested by a de...

A first step for the hon. Gentleman might be to join the Territorial Army and, in a year’s time, ...

I share the hon. Gentleman’s feeling that bombing can work only if there is a plan for what comes...

That is a fair observation. There is no simple solution to any of this, but the answer will not c...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

No.

If the west fails to morph into the background, away from the military lead, I am afrai...

This is not the first time that I have disagreed with the hon. Member for Bradford West (George G...

Last week, I met 120 representatives of the Mancunian Iraqi diaspora from Mosul, whose families l...

Absolutely. Air strikes have obviously not been able to recapture Mosul. Four months on, Mosul is...

The question that sits in the air following the contributions of the two speakers before the righ...

Of course there is a problem; nobody would dispute that. The Iraqi army, apparently, are not read...

As we get through the debate, we start to say a number of similar things. Before I say the three ...

I thank my right hon. Friend personally for all the work he did in the region while he was Minist...

I entirely agree. ISIL’s barbarity is what has brought us here today, as well as the recognition ...

The right hon. Gentleman is making a typically thoughtful speech. It would be unthinkable to stan...

I shall not respond to the hon. Gentleman’s second point. There is an issue relating to the settl...

It is a great pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt...

I always listen with rapt attention to my hon. Friend’s views on international affairs. As one wh...

That is a fair point, which I shall try to address. It brings me back to what was said by both th...

The point that the hon. Lady is making is very valid at the present time. The air attacks by the ...

Yes, indeed; and the armies on the ground will not be our armies. That is also very important. We...

There is a real problem here. Who will have the strength and determination today, tomorrow, next ...

In fairness to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, they did say that there would...

I support the Prime Minister and this motion today and welcome the support of the official Opposi...

I want to take up my right hon. Friend’s exact point. Does the lack of strategic objective not ma...

My whole point is that we have to live with that uncertainty, because we are living in an age tha...

The right hon. Gentleman is making a good speech. Is he uneasy about the way in which the gates a...

Let me answer the hon. Gentleman this way, because it really is my main point. We are looking at ...

The one thing that is certain is that no one in this House or anywhere else can be certain that t...

I agree with everything that my right hon. Friend has said, but does he agree that when we use dr...

That may be true, but it must be said that without the American intervention from the air, the ch...

The point that the right hon. Gentleman rightly made about the brutality of ISIS, especially towa...

It is certainly true that part of our tradition—which we sometimes fall short of, and have done i...

Having opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003, with my party colleagues, I have deliberated uncomfo...

There is a gentleman living in my constituency who is part of the Yazidi group. I was appalled by...

I very much hope that all Members across the House would agree with that, whatever their take on ...

Is the United Kingdom not already making a very substantial military contribution in the form of ...

My hon. Friend makes an important point. The value that we can add to the international effort th...

My right hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Frank Dobson) is completely right to ...

I am delighted to take part in this debate. As my right hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Me...

The right hon. Gentleman is right; this motion is squarely within the national interest. He talks...

The hon. Gentleman makes a perfectly fair point, but I am afraid to say that that is the case wit...

It has been said throughout the debate how important it is that there is the coalition of Arab st...

The hon. Lady makes a very good point and if she will be patient, I intend to come on to it, as t...

We are here again to discuss the issue of stability and conflict in the middle east. It appears t...

I am anxious to give the hon. Gentleman an extra minute, because I want to hear what he thinks we...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for doing that. I am very keen to get on to the question of the situat...

Will it be possible to defeat these evil terrorists while simultaneously turning a blind eye to t...

My hon. Friend is right. Unless we play with a straight bat across the piece and condemn such act...

It is my intention when the House divides this afternoon—if it does divide—to support the Governm...

My right hon. and learned Friend is making a compelling case. Would he advise the House that the ...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend—that is precisely the point to which I was about to come.

I...

Will my right hon. and learned Friend give way?

I will not; I must finish.

The moment one looks at that issue, it becomes immediately appar...

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Order. The right hon. Member for Oldham West and Royton (Mr Meacher) will be the last Member to b...

It cannot be emphasised too strongly that this is not another invasion of Iraq. It is a response ...

My right hon. Friend is making a very good speech. Does he agree that we must do all we can to re...

I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. Of course that is part of the commitment of the new Iraqi P...

My right hon. Friend has, of course, mentioned the previous occasion when we debated Iraq, when t...

That is a very important point, because the economic and aid aspect, which is crucial—far more im...

I visited the Christian villages near Mosul that are most affected by Islamic State. I have heard...

Is my hon. Friend saying that we should not support the campaign of the Syrian free forces agains...

We all want Syria to be a democratic, modern country, and we all want the Syrian free forces to w...

My hon. Friend is making a very important point. The idea is that somehow we could support the Sy...

I accept that point. The Government tell us that we are not going to follow the Americans down th...

I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

I support military int...

Does my hon. Friend agree that the British Government should have given support to the Kurdistan ...

I agree with my hon. Friend on that subject. Kurdistan has opened its heart and arms to the many ...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Meg Munn), who made an excellen...

The decision that we will take today is the most difficult that this House could face: whether to...

My hon. Friend speaks with great authority on these matters. Regarding the regional actors, does ...

I am grateful for that intervention and I absolutely agree that all those regional partner-nation...

Members of the House have laid out, with enormous ingenuity, the complexity of this situation; we...

Does my hon. Friend therefore disagree with the hon. Member for Bradford West (George Galloway) w...

That is a very good question. The answer, of course, is that outside the heartland of the Islamic...

What does my hon. Friend say to our hon. Friend the Member for Gravesham (Mr Holloway) who is quo...

It is a good challenge. The answer is that air strikes need to be focused primarily on containing...

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the debate today. I will support the motion be...

My hon. Friend is making a crucial point. Will she join me in welcoming the fact that in Cardiff,...

My hon. Friend makes an important point. The coming together of the wider community has been welc...

rose—

Order. Before I call the next speaker, I advise Members that we will be dropping to a three-minut...

Among the many important comments made by the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Shabana Mahmo...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I am happy to give way.

Order. The hon. Gentleman took seven minutes in speaking. If he wants to intervene, he should rem...

I apologise.

I shall proceed.

Where are we with the current situation? When I was asked before this deba...

This is the third time during my lifetime in Parliament that I have been asked to vote to invade ...

Will my hon. Friend comment on the argument that the air strikes have so far prevented the expans...

The air strikes have had some effect, but I do not believe that further air strikes and the deepe...

On the subject of Islam, I should say that the Leader of the Opposition was exactly right to emph...

My apologies, Mr Speaker, for having missed the early part of today’s proceedings. Both sides of ...

We have heard some erudite and persuasive speeches from Members who have far more knowledge of th...

Although its origins lie in Islamist jihadist groups in Iraq and elsewhere, ISIL is not an Islami...

My hon. Friend is right to raise the plight of the Kurds. Does he also agree that they need not j...

I went to the KRG last year. I visited the area of Dohuk and the Domiz refugee camp. At that time...

There can be and is no greater responsibility for Parliament than when committing combat troops—a...

I shall be brief. I support the motion and I commend both the case made by the Prime Minister and...

There have been many good speeches today, some at different volumes. I only wish to contribute th...

This motion is the thin end of a bloody and ugly wedge that will grow and expand and mission-cree...

I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Interests; I am co-chairman ...

Is not the endemic disorder partly a result of the borders imposed by the west 100 years ago? Is ...

My hon. Friend raises an important point. The Kurds have given themselves three months to see whe...

I will be supporting the motion today. We are right to demand a coherent and effective strategy b...

For two thirds of my adult lifetime, we have been dropping bombs on Iraq, and as the hon. Member ...

When it comes to this military intervention in the middle east, we do not have to look in the cry...

Surely, humility and modesty should be our watchwords in this debate, if only because the reducti...

As my party leader, my right hon. Friend the Member for Belfast North (Mr Dodds), has indicated, ...

Theodore Roosevelt said:

“Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

The west spoke softly ...

On this occasion I think that military intervention in Iraq in support of the Iraqi army and the ...

The events taking place in Iraq and Syria are not simply an attack on our society and our way of ...

Does my hon. Friend share my alarm at the fact that the territory controlled by ISIS is now large...

My hon. Friend is absolutely correct, and that is why we must consider taking action in Syria as ...

I am sure that my hon. Friend is aware that RAF Akrotiri is only 100 miles from the Syrian border...

I entirely support what my right hon. Friend has said. RAF Akrotiri is a British sovereign base a...

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I briefly seek your guidance. A number of hon. Members ha...

The ruling is that that is not a point of order.

4.9 pm

In the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq, I led a trade union delegation to Kurdistan. I was amaz...

If I understood the hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) correctly, he suggested that ...

I rise to make a few short remarks, following the learned contributions of other hon. Members.