'Britain must join any US strikes against Assad'
The Pledge panellist Maajid Nawaz says Theresa May must move to join any US military action against Syria's Assad regime.
Monday 16 April 2018 10:36, UK
The Prime Minister is expected to convene a special "war cabinet" on Thursday to discuss joining military action against the Syrian regime, following its apparent use of chemical weapons.
Maajid Nawaz, who appears on Sky News panel show The Pledge, insists Britain must participate. He says:
If Donald Trump launches airstrikes against the Assad regime in Syria to punish it for using chemical weapons, Britain must participate.
There are many naysayers among the populist left and right, who have more in common than they would care to admit, but a failure to act would allow a new precedent to be set that is too horrific to imagine.
If Theresa May follows the recently-invented convention of seeking Parliament's approval for action, she could lose.
But there is no law that requires the Government to ask MPs.
As our Commander In Chief, she can alone authorise military force - and she should do so.
This would place us firmly in a broad western alliance, whereas our absence would further isolate us and be seen as a sign of global weakness.
We stand at a crossroads.
Britain must uphold international law by deterring the use of chemical weapons anywhere, at anytime.
Getting Iraq wrong does not mean we simply cower from our duty, while civilians are gassed with impunity.
We must act.
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