The government wins the vote by 524 to 43 - a majority of 481, the Speaker announces.

Alexander Marquardt, ABC News Correspondent

tweets:, external Kurdish commander in Kobane/Ayn al-Arab tells @ABC heavy fighting w/ #ISIS is 10km to the south, 6km to the east. #Syria

A reminder what it is that MPs are voting on at the moment.

The motion condemns the "barbaric acts" by Islamic State militants and acknowledges the specific request by Iraq for military assistance "and the clear legal basis that this provides for action in Iraq".

It does not authorise action in Syria, and states that this would need a separate vote in Parliament.

House of Commons

tweets:, external Debate on the #Iraq: coalition against #ISIL motion has now ended. The House has divided. Results of the division will be announced shortly.

The Speaker puts the question to the House that the motion be passed, prompting shouts of "Aye" and "No" from the green benches - which forces a division.

Typically votes in the Commons take about 15 minutes, as MPs have to file one-by-one through either the Yes or No lobbies to register their vote. MPs can be seen getting ready to vote in the picture below.

Allegra Stratton tweets, external: Just bumped into Labour rebel. They think Lab supporting Iraq vote could cause trouble for any core vote / Lib Dem defection strategy.

Concluding his remarks and appealing for MPs to support the motion, Mr Clegg says: "We must act, we do so mindful of the mistakes and lessons of the past, but we do so with lawful authority, with clear objectives and with the support and active participation of a broad coalition of international opinion which is saying to Isil 'enough is enough'."

As MPs begin to vote: Islamic State militants are advancing on the Syrian town of Kobane, where they are battling Kurdish fighters.

The clashes are visible from Turkey, where protesters have stormed a border fence to go and defend the town. The fighting means some 140,000 people are fleeing into Turkey.

Green MP Caroline Lucas questions whether all political and diplomatic measures have been properly pursued before going down the route of military action. Mr Clegg responds by saying there are times when it is "simply impossible to reason with your foe", adding that there is no diplomatic initiative which would be recognised by the "barbaric and murderous" IS.

Nick Robinson
Political editor

tweets, external: "All assets are available" - @nick_clegg tells MPs Tomahawk cruise missiles could be used against IS in Iraq as well as RAF

The deputy PM emphasises the differences between Iraq and Syria - and stresses that although the motion does not authorise air strikes in Syria this does not mean the UK is "inactive".

He says the UK will work with other countries to create the conditions in which good governance can take root in the region, quoting UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon as saying bombs can kill terrorists but good governance can kill terrorism.

Mr Clegg defends the prime minister's earlier remarks that the government reserves the right to act without prior parliamentary approval if events demand it, following an intervention from Labour backbencher John McDonnell.

He goes on to say that while the mistakes of the past should be avoided "we should not be paralysed by it". The Lib Dem leader says that all those who campaigned against the 2003 "attack" on Iraq should not hesitate to act to "defend" Iraq upon its request.

It is left to Lib Dem Deputy PM Nick Clegg to respond to and wrap up the debate on behalf of the government.

Air strikes are essential to stem IS's advance and degrade their operations. But this objective "must be in the service of creating conditions for new forms of governance in Sunni parts of Iraq", he says. He finishes by restating the opposition's support for the motion.

The motion does not authorise bombing IS in Syria - and states that a separate vote would be required from Parliament to carry this out.

The shadow foreign secretary clarifies for the House that Labour has not made a UN Security Council resolution a condition for authorising action in Syria. But he says there are questions around the legality of UK air strikes in Syria.

We're on to the wind up speeches now, starting with the opposition front bench. Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander says Labour is content that the action being proposed is legal, proportionate and stands a "reasonable" chance of success.

The Conservatives' Jesse Norman describes as a "serious mistake" the convention that has arisen whereby major foreign policy interventions must be approved in Parliament except in an emergency.

He points out that MPs are inevitably far less well-informed than ministers and as a body lacks the "capacity to act quickly and without warning to fast, changing events" resulting in "delay and loss of fragility and surprise which ill-serves our forces in the field".

The Hereford MP says "extreme care should be exercised as to when or whether this House is asked to vote on these matters in future".

Backing the government, Liberal Democrat Greg Mulholland says there is a "clear legal case" for action coupled with an "overwhelming moral" case.

He said it would be a "further tragedy" of the 2003 Iraq war - which he and his party opposed - if the UK felt it was unable to join an international coalition against the "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing" being carried out at the hands of IS militants. Mr Mulholland says those voting against the motion have offered no alternative to stopping IS.

A reminder of the full text of the motion before MPs this afternoon:

That this House:

Condemns the barbaric acts of ISIL against the peoples of Iraq including the Sunni, Shia, Kurds, Christians and Yazidi and the humanitarian crisis this is causing;

Recognises the clear threat ISIL pose to the territorial integrity of Iraq and the request from the government of Iraq for military support from the international community and the specific request to the UK government for such support;

Further recognises the threat ISIL poses to wider international security and the UK directly through its sponsorship of terrorist attacks and its murder of a British hostage;

Acknowledges the broad coalition contributing to military support of the government of Iraq, including countries throughout the Middle East;

Further acknowledges the request of the government of Iraq for international support to defend itself against the threat ISIL poses to Iraq and its citizens, and the clear legal basis that this provides for action in Iraq;

Notes that this motion does not endorse UK air strikes in Syria as part of this campaign, and any proposal to do so would be subject to a separate vote in Parliament;

Accordingly supports Her Majesty's Government, working with allies, in supporting the government of Iraq in protecting civilians and restoring its territorial integrity, including the use of UK air strikes to support Iraqi, including Kurdish, security forces' efforts against ISIL in Iraq;

Notes that Her Majesty's Government will not deploy UK troops in ground combat operations;

Offers its wholehearted support to the men and women of Her Majesty's armed forces.

Lord Wallace concludes by telling the House that the UK must offer a "compelling" alternative to extremism; and Lords disband, returning to Parliament on 13 October.