David Cameron has told MPs Britain “cannot dodge forever” the need to attack Islamic State at the source by extending RAF airstrikes to Syria, making it clear that he intends to bring the issue back to the Commons at some point.
His remarks at prime minister’s questions came as it was announced Britain would be sending naval support to protect a French aircraft carrier being dispatched to the Middle East.
The Royal Navy warship HMS Defender will provide air defence cover for the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle when it deploys to tackle Isis.
Cameron said that “Isis was able to get hold of weapons, territory, banks [in Iraq] … in order to fund their hatred and their violence”.
But he added: “Go after the money, go after the banks … but don’t make that a substitute for what is required to beat these people where they are.
“We cannot dodge forever the question of how to degrade Isil [Isis] both in Iraq and in Syria.”
The prime minister also refused to give an assurance that Britain would only support military strikes against Isis if it had the support of the UN in a security council resolution, saying: “Russia has different aims to us and they have repeatedly threatened to veto any such resolution.”
He said: “It is always preferable to have the support of the UN, but what matters is that any action is legal and will protect British citizens. You cannot outsource to a Russian veto the decisions we need to take to keep our country safe.”
He also reaffirmed that he would be setting out his broader strategy to combat Isis and restore stability in Syria through a detailed response to the recent critical all-party foreign affairs select committee report. He insisted the west had a clear overall strategy to create long-term stability in Syria.
Some of Cameron’s critics, including some Tory backbenchers and most recently Gen David Richards, the former chief of the defence staff, have said the west should abandon efforts to oust the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, in the short term and instead unite with the Syrian leader to defeat Isis, the immediate and most dangerous enemy.
Cameron also rejected claims made by the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, given muted support by his own MPs, that cuts to the police force would undermine the intelligence agencies’ fight against terrorism. He said there had been an increase of 3,800 neighbourhood police officers in the last parliament despite a 31% cut to the police force budget.
He pointed out that shadow home secretary Andy Burnham had supported 10% efficiency savings in the police force, adding that his priority was to protect the counter-terror budget.
Pressed by Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster, on public opposition to unilateral UK strikes in an opinion poll, Cameron responded to Tory cheers: “My job is not to read a Survation opinion poll but to do the right thing to keep our country safe.”
Urging the public to carry on as normal, he rounded on Corbyn for suggesting that it would be wrong to back a shoot-to-kill policy if the British police were confronted by the same terror attacks as France. He said: “Hasn’t it come to something when the opposition leader … thinks that the police, when confronted by a Kalashnikov-waving terrorist, isn’t sure what the reaction should be?”
He added: “Police should not be in any doubt … if confronted by a terrorist … you can and must use lethal force.”
He said the Muslim community had to act to deny the link between their religion and terrorism because that connection was being made by terrorists: “We do have to recognise that … these terrorists spout the same bile that they claim comes from the religion of Islam.
“It’s not good enough to say there’s no connection between terrorism and Islam, they are making that connection and we need to prove it’s not right.”
He said: “We’ve refused entry to almost 6,000 EU nationals … Since 2010 we have denied entry to nearly 95,000 and one of the principal reasons we prevent people coming into our country – EU nationals and non-EU nationals – is national security.”
