MPs vote by 397 to 223 to authorise UK air strikes against so-called Islamic State in Syria
RAF Tornado jets carry out their first air strikes against IS in Syria, the Ministry of Defence confirms
Four RAF Tornado jets take off from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus
During a 10-hour debate, David Cameron urged Tory MPs to 'take a stand' against IS
Jeremy Corbyn said the PM's case "does not add up" and could make the situation worse
Despite Tory rebels, PM was helped by votes of some Labour MPs, the Lib Dems and DUP
A separate cross-party amendment opposing airstrikes was defeated by 390 votes to 211
Following his remarks last night when he labelled opponents of air strikes "terrorist sympathisers", David Cameron says he "respects people who disagree" and he hopes "that provides some reassurance to MPs".
He's called on to apologise by Labour's Carolline Flint, but repeats his earlier statement.
Opening the debate, David Cameron tells MPs the question before them is "how to keep the UK safe from the threat posed by IS".
Quote MessageThis is not about whether we want to fight terrorism, it's about how best we do that."
Speaker John Bercow informs MPs he's accepted the cross-party amendment opposing air strikes which will be debated alongside the government's. A vote will also be taken on it.
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Amy Childs
I’m hoping that our government for once will do the right thing and vote against airstrikes in Syria. We’re already helping our allies by providing intelligence and surveillance, so we are contributing to this cause and I think it’s unfair that it is considered a “diminished role”. Launching an airstrike will only increase our chances of a terrorist attack even further – a risk I think the government are overlooking because we’re already supposedly at a high risk.
Before the debate can begin there's the matter of the Business of the House motion to deal with. Shadow Commons leader Chris Bryant says he's concerned not all MPs wishing to speak in the debate will be able to, as he criticises the time constraints on today's debate. (Labour had wanted two days' of debate ahead of the vote).
Quote MessageThis is no way to proceed if you really want to take the House and the country with you."
The SNP's Pete Wishart also rises to voice his complaints, expressing his disappointment with the government.
Commons Leader Chris Grayling says that given the number of MPs wishing to speak in the debate it'd be better to get on with it. The motion is passed unanimously.
The chamber is absolutely packed for today's debate on Syria air strikes. Speaker John Bercow informs the House that 157 MPs are seeking to speak in the debate and promises he will do his best to fit them all in.
Dr Andreas Krieg, assistant professor in the Department of Defence studies at King’s College London says the government's plan "is a desperate attempt" by David Cameron to "present the public with options to fight domestic terrorism in Europe with links to ISIS". Dr Andreas King warns that IS cannot be defeated militarily, arguing that a "proper strategy" is needed to bring about a solution.
Quote MessageIt is a problem that requires a socio-political solution in Syria and Iraq backed up by a credible coercive punch. So far the West or the international community have not presented a credible socio-political solution."
"Unfathomably strategically retrograde" is the view of Dr David Betz, from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. He says of the government's plans to extend bombing against IS targets into Syria:
Quote MessageThere is no plausible aim declared. There is, therefore, no plan to achieve anything meaningful. A few more bombs delivered by a handful of British aircraft will contribute little to the campaign against Islamic State. We have very little detailed knowledge of whom we will be killing and not much knowledge either of those on whose behalf we will supposedly be doing it."
Dr David Betz predicts: "We will come to regret as a society turning our wars into plot devices of domestic political theatre.”
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Stuart Ross
Could we wait for the Chilcot report before a vote is made on Syria?
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We're about 10 minutes away from the House of Commons debate on military action in Syria beginning. David Cameron will to address MPs, shortly after 11:30 GMT. Stay tuned for rolling coverage of the session.
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Arthur Jones
Was it unwise of David Cameron to describe those who disagree with his view concerning air strikes as "terrorist sympathisers"? This may galvanise support for Jeremy Corbyn`s view from those MPs who are undecided which way to vote and may be alarmed and insulted by such comments.
Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Barbara Spiller
Yes, the threat of ISIL is very real, they have and want to attack at every opportunity, but I don’t believe air raids on Syria will prevent this from happening unless they achieve a very specific target and result. We need to find other ways of standing shoulder to shoulder and support our allies. We need to find ways to cut of the finances of the terrorist groups. We need to do more at home to prevent the recruiting of British citizens joining ISIL. We need our politicians to do what they’re supposed to be good at; to persuade and negotiate with benign and influential leaders in the Middle East to join together in an effort to quash ISIL and resolve the Syrian crisis.
Labour MP Clive Lewis adds:
Quote MessageYou cannot bomb an idea out of existence, and that's what I feel is too often, on too many occasions the default setting of politicians in the West is."
He argues that a new diplomatic and economic strategy is needed to tackle the ideology underpinning fundamental jihadism.
BBC News Channel
(l-r) Dan Jarvis and Clive Lewis
Labour MP Clive Lewis explains why he'll be voting no to air strikes today. He tells BBC assistant political Normal Smith he's worried who will fill the void on the ground after IS are "degraded", casting doubt on the government's claim of 70,000 Syrian fighters to take on the extremist group.
But former soldier Dan Jarvis, also from Labour, says that "given the nature of the threat" posed by IS he supports military action - but he does agree with MPs' concerns about the figure of 70,000 ground troops.
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BBC assistant political editor tweets...
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Image source, IS propagandaThe government has let it be known that, from today, it will refer to the self-styled Islamic State group as "Daesh".
The jihadist group which controls large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq is sometimes referred to by different names by English-speaking governments and media.
BBC Monitoring
French papers see the House of Commons as poised to approve air strikes in Syria. Liberal Le Monde says British military analysts see the vote as a chance to restore British prestige, after more recent impressions that it has turned inwards and "plays a diminished role" on the world stage. Conservative Le Figaro and top-selling Ouest-France note Mr Cameron's wish not to "outsource" British security, given that the United States and France are "already hitting jihadist targets in Syria". Left-wing Liberation runs a dispatch by its London correspondent Sonia Delesalle-Stolper examining the divisions in the Labour Party ahead of the vote. She says shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn "managed to keep a straight face" while defending Jeremy Corbyn's "strong leadership", but she has no doubt herself that Labour "lacks a coherent and united vision".
