Counter-Daesh Update

Jonathan Edwards Excerpts

Thursday 29th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt]

Yes; my right hon. Friend points to the answer. I think hon. Members on both sides of the Chamber regret that we took military action off the table in the vote in 2013. It was not a vote on taking military action; indeed, there was an undertaking that if military action was sought, the Government would come back to the House and ask it to vote on that. What we did that day was remove the option for this country to take military action. That is a lesson that sometimes inaction is not the right answer.

[Jonathan Edwards (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr) (PC)]

Pasg hapus iawn i chi—a very happy Easter to you, Mr Deputy Speaker.

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Sir Lindsay Hoyle)]

And to you.

[Jonathan Edwards]

Thank you.

After turning a blind eye to Turkey’s disgraceful offensive against the Kurds in Afrin province, will the British Government now unreservedly condemn the Turkish army’s intention to extend the offensive into Idlib, Manbij and Kobane, and all the way to the Iraq border? As Turkey is now directly undermining a counter-Daesh operation, should not the British Government at least stop selling arms to that country?

[Penny Mordaunt]

I have already said a great deal about Afrin. I take issue with the hon. Gentleman’s characterisation of the Government as turning a blind eye to this—far from it. Just last week my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East spoke with members of the Turkish Government about these matters.