'We can't turn a blind eye': Corbyn is lashed by his OWN side for refusing to act over chemical weapons while May can only roll her eyes at his response

  • Labour leader has made clear he does not believe UK strikes on Syria were legal
  • Insisted he would not countenance any military action without UN resolution 
  • Tories say Corbyn's position has consolidated support for Theresa May on Syria 
  • Labour deputy leader Tom Watson commissioned legal advice on the strikes 

Jeremy Corbyn was lashed by MPs on his own side for 'turning a blind eye' to the use of chemical weapons tonight.

The Labour leader was jeered by the Commons as he claimed again Theresa May was being led by Donald Trump and the Syrian regime might not be to blame for the devastating chemical attack in Douma.

Mrs May was left rolling her eyes in response to Mr Corbyn. 

He came under furious red-on-red fire following his speech to MPs, which came moments after the Prime Minister set out a forensic case in defence of the strikes she ordered in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Jeremy Corbyn was jeered by MPs as he suggested someone other than Syrian regime could be to blame, highlighting reports other groups had used chemical weapons during the Syrian war

Jeremy Corbyn was jeered by MPs as he suggested someone other than Syrian regime could be to blame, highlighting reports other groups had used chemical weapons during the Syrian war

Theresa May rolled her eyes in despair today as Jeremy Corbyn accused of her of following orders from Donald Trump in Syria today

Theresa May rolled her eyes in despair today as Jeremy Corbyn accused of her of following orders from Donald Trump in Syria today

Labour MP Mike Gapes, Illford South, said the party had a 'longstanding and noble tradition' of 'supporting humanitarian intervention'.

He said: 'Can I remind the PM and Mr Corbyn it was a Labour Government with Robin Cook as Foreign Secretary that carried out airstrikes in Iraq under Operation Desert Fox in 1998, without a UN resolution.

'It was a Labour Government that restored President Kabbah in Sierra Leone without a UN resolution.

'It was a Labour Government that stopped ethnic cleansing in Kosovo without a UN resolution.

'There is a long standing and noble tradition on these benches supporting humanitarian intervention and the responsibility to protect.'

Former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie, Nottingham East, was cheered by Tory MPs as he warned of the consequences of inaction, in what appeared to be fierce criticism of his party's frontbench.

He said: 'Pinpointing and degrading Assad's chemical weapons was necessary and appropriate, and that intervening to save civilians from future gas attacks - while not without risk - was absolutely the right thing to do.' 

Launching a direct attack on Mr Corbyn, he added: 'Would you agree that a policy of inaction also would have severe consequences, and that those who would turn a blind eye, who would do nothing in pursuit of some moral high ground should also be held accountable - for once - today as well?'

Former Labour minister Ben Bradshaw, Exeter, voiced support for the Prime Minister in ordering strikes after 'proven and repeated' use of chemical weapons in a pointed rebuke to his party leader. 

Former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie, Nottingham East, was cheered by Tory MPs as he warned of the consequences of inaction, in what appeared to be fierce criticism of his party's frontbench

Former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie, Nottingham East, was cheered by Tory MPs as he warned of the consequences of inaction, in what appeared to be fierce criticism of his party's frontbench

Ben Bradshaw (left) and Mike Gapes (right) were among the Labour MPs lashing Jeremy Corbyn 

In his speech,  Mr Corbyn described the chemical attack in Douma as 'horrific' but faced shouts of 'shame' from Tory MPs as he told the Commons: 'This statement serves as a reminder that the Prime Minister is accountable to this Parliament, not to the whims of the US President.

'We clearly need a War Powers Act in this country to transform a now broken convention into a legal obligation.

'Her predecessor came to this House to seek authority for military action in Libya and in Syria in 2015, and the House had a vote over Iraq in 2003.

'There is no more serious issue than the life and death matters of military action. It is right that Parliament has the power to support or stop the Government from taking planned military action.'

Mr Corbyn added that it was now 'vitally important' that OPCW inspectors were allowed to investigate and report their findings.

He went on to say: 'We have the grotesque spectacle of a wider geopolitical battle being waged by proxy, with the Syrian people used as pawns on all sides.'

The Labour leader has repeatedly caused anger by making clear he does not accept that the strikes on Bashar Assad's chemical weapons capability by the US, UK and France were legally justified on humanitarian grounds. 

Meanwhile, Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson today published a legal opinion written Dapo Akande, an Oxford professor of public international law, declaring the coalition strikes to be defiance of the United Nations Charter.  

A slew of Labour MPs have already broken cover to condemn Mr Corbyn's position.

Theresa May, pictured at a Commonwealth conference today, is due to be grilled by MPs over the Syria strikes later this afternoon

Theresa May, pictured at a Commonwealth conference today, is due to be grilled by MPs over the Syria strikes later this afternoon

His performance on the BBC's Andrew Marr show yesterday also appears to have helped consolidated Tory and DUP support for Theresa May.

Senior MPs from both main parties now suspect any retrospective vote on the Syria strikes would be more likely to expose splits in Labour than the Tories.

One senior Conservative said: 'There is no appetite among our MPs to rebel against the PM.

'Labour have a far bigger problem than we do.'   

A senior Labour MP said: 'There are quite a lot of our side who support the action. I'm not sure forcing a vote now is a good idea.' 

Shadow attorney general Baroness Chakrabarti today joined Mr Corbyn in dismissing the humanitarian justification for the strikes.

Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson today published a legal opinion written Dapo Akande, an Oxford professor of public international law, declaring the coalition strikes to be defiance of the United Nations Charter

Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson today published a legal opinion written Dapo Akande, an Oxford professor of public international law, declaring the coalition strikes to be defiance of the United Nations Charter

'You can't use force under international law just to punish Syria for bad behaviour,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'You have to actually be using urgent, necessary and proportionate force. And you have to do it with the will of the world behind you.'

But Labour backbencher John Woodcock, Barrow and Furness, said today: 'I wish my frontbench would spend even a fraction of the energy on Assad and Russia's grotesque slaughter of civilians as they are on inventing new reasons to oppose targeted UK intervention to stop it.'

Fellow MP Mike Gapes, former chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted: 'Watched Corbyn interview on #Marr again. Sorry to say my Party is led by a man who questions Russian responsibility for Salisbury, who rejects action to stop Assad use of chemical weapons, who opposes Humanitarian intervention and gives Russia a veto on UK action. #NotInMyName.'

Mr Watson said the advice he had received from Mr Akande was from one of Britain's 'pre-eminent' legal experts on international law'.

It says the Government's position ignored laws about the use of force and did not comply with international doctrine on humanitarian intervention.

The advice also warns Mrs May's version of intervention based on humanitarian grounds was open to abuse.  

Mr Watson said: 'MPs and the public should not have to rely on the partial information about legality released by the government.

'There is a clear public interest in this expert and impartial advice from Professor Akande and that is why I am releasing it in full.

'The government should do the same with their advice.' 

The Labour leader also made clear he does not accept that the strikes on Syria by the UK, US and France were legally justified on humanitarian grounds

The Labour leader also made clear he does not accept that the strikes on Syria by the UK, US and France were legally justified on humanitarian grounds

Labour backbencher John Woodcock made clear his concern at Mr Corbyn's approach

Labour backbencher John Woodcock made clear his concern at Mr Corbyn's approach

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, Mr Corbyn defied the growing weight of proof to again raised doubts about whether the Assad regime had been behind the attack that killed at least 75 people including children.

The veteran left-winger - who for decades has been urging NATO states to disarm and suggested the West was to blame for Russia's annexation of Crimea - claimed chlorine had been used by 'a number of parties in the conflict'. 

Asked if there were any circumstances in which he would back air strikes in Syria, Mr Corbyn replied: 'I can only countenance involvement in Syria if there is a UN authority behind it. 

'If we could get to a process in the UN where you get to a ceasefire, you get to a political solution, you then may well get to a situation where there could be a UN force established to enforce that ceasefire. That surely would save a lot of lives.'

Mr Corbyn was also challenged that he had previously opposed military action even when the UN had mandated it.

In 2015 he voted against UK involvement in airstrikes against ISIS in Syria - although many other Labour politicians supported the government.   

Mr Corbyn said that if Britain wants to 'get the moral high ground around the world' it must abide by international law for taking military action. 

Labour MP Chuka Umunna, pictured right on ITV's Peston programme yesterday, was among those who slammed Mr Corbyn's position

Labour MP Chuka Umunna, pictured right on ITV's Peston programme yesterday, was among those who slammed Mr Corbyn's position

He said the humanitarian grounds used by the UK to justify strikes were 'debatable', saying he only believed self-defence and a UN resolution were enough.

'Where is the legal basis for this?' he said. 

Mr Corbyn said there should be a law that forced the PM to secure a Commons majority before taking action.

'I think what we need in this country is something more robust like a War Powers Act so that governments do get held to account by Parliament for what they do in our name,' he said.  

Labour MP Chuka Umunna was among those who slammed Mr Corbyn's position today.

He told ITV's Peston programme: 'It is unrealistic to expect to have unanimity in the international community to act.

'The problem the UN has at the moment is because of Russia and its inevitable veto.. the UN is rendered toothless.'

GCHQ is thought to be monitoring the web to pick up any signs of cyber aggression from the Kremlin, following the unified missile strikes on Syrian chemical basis in Damascus

GCHQ is thought to be monitoring the web to pick up any signs of cyber aggression from the Kremlin, following the unified missile strikes on Syrian chemical basis in Damascus

He added: 'Ultimately you cannot have the use of chemical weapons go unanswered by the international community.

'I don't believe you should hide behind the ultimate veto by Russia at the UN security council.'  

Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw praised French President Emmanuel Macron for his willingness to work with the wider UN general assembly, rather than relying on the security council.

In a pointed jibe at Mr Corbyn, he said: 'Others who simply parrot - 'this must be resolved by the Security Council' - wilfully ignore Russia's repeated vetoes - including of inspectors' power to apportion blame for the attacks.' 

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.