The Rt Hon Stephen McPartland

Stephen McPartland MP said, "I will vote against military action in Syria.

"The last Parliament saw a terrible day for democracy when the Labour Party tried to create political capital out of the suffering of innocent children, women and men in Syria.

"I voted against the Labour motion, which set out a road map to war with the Syrian Government and I voted against the Coalition Government's motion also.

"No one is winning and millions of innocent civilians in Syria are suffering, our efforts should be focused on reconciliation rather than firing a few missiles to salve international consciences. In fact, the Dual-mode Brimstone missile our allies want us to deploy, was developed in Stevenage and is manufactured near Bolton. It is very very accurate, but the resulting explosion and debris are not and it is implausible to suggest it will guarantee no civilian casualties. 

"I voted against military intervention in Syria, because I believed it would just prolong an already dreadful civil war. I continue to believe this is the case and will not support such military interventions. "

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