The Daily Politics

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Here's more from John Baron, who says he's part of a "small hardcore" opposed to military action "in the absence of a proper long-term strategy" but adds that "a lot" of Tory MPs have been telling him they're still to make up their mind:

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Conservative MP John Baron, who is opposed to military intervention Syria, says there is no comprehensive long-term strategy (military and non-military).

IS must be "destroyed", he says, but questions what is the best way to go about it, adding: "We should learn from our previous errors."

Speaking about tomorrow's debate, he says he doesn't expect Conservative MPs to get a free vote on the matter, but his "gut instinct" is that they should.

Image source, Handout

There will be no inquest into the death of a Cardiff jihadist killed by the RAF in Syria, a UK minister has said.

Reyaad Khan, 21, died in August in the first targeted UK drone attack on a British citizen.

Calling for an inquest, Cardiff West Labour MP Kevin Brennan said there was a "question mark" over the legality of the killing.

But Defence Minister Penny Mordaunt said the case was outside the jurisdiction of a coroner.

More here.

Image source, PA

The status quo between BT and its subsidiary Openreach, which provides the infrastructure connecting people to the internet, is unlikely to continue warns the head of the telecoms regulator, Ofcom.

Critics of BT say it has not invested enough in Openreach and want it sold.

Ofcom's chief executive, Sharon White, is currently reviewing the company's provision of superfast broadband.

She said one option was "the structural separation" of Openreach from BT

More here.

Ben Wright
BBC political correspondent

Speaking at the Treasury Select Committee, Chancellor George Osborne said the UK's current military operation in Iraq (plus support for opposition forces in Syria) costs £200m a year. Extending that to Syria will cost "in the low tens of millions of pounds". It will come out of the Treasury reserve, he says.

Image source, AP

Just a reminder that  the 2016 Budget will be held on Wednesday 16 March. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced the date in the Commons.

A week after unveiling his Autumn Statement, Mr Osborne must now prepare for this annual speech outlining fiscal forecasts and tax changes for the following financial year.

More here.

Image source, Reuters

In other news, MPs have said the government should not support the building of a third runway at Heathrow until a number of environmental conditions can be met.

The Airports Commission, external published a report backing a third runway in July.

But the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee report said firm plans to deal with climate-changing emissions, air quality and noise need to be put in place.

A final government decision is expected by the end of the year.

More on the story here.

SNP foreign affairs spokesman Alex Salmond has suggested the prime minister is limiting debate on Syrian air strikes to divide the Labour Party. Speaking in the Commons a little earlier, he said:

Chris Grayling said he knew of no specific reason the PM would not want to be in the House on Thursday and that the length of time allocated for debate was “appropriate”

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

An air campaign in Syria is "not an end itself" but "part of a process", says Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, He says the situation in Syria will only be resolved on the ground and says thought is needed on who is to carry out that role.

Asked if he accepts the figure of 70,000 Syrian opposition troops who could take on that rules, Lord Dannatt says "numerically they probably exist", but whether they are cohesive and in the right place "I very much doubt".

The amount of time being set aside for MPs to debate the government's motion on Syria air strikes has been discussed in the Commons.

Labour is calling for two days' of debate, and the SNP also asked the government to reconsider this, during the business statement.

Speaker John Bercow says the government's plans for a whole day's debate on Wednesday - which will amount to 10.5 hours - "is not two full days' debate in one, but it is considerably more than one and a half".

He suggests the best thing is to to try to maximise "buy in" to the debate and to "minimise dissent".

Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh suggests the debate could be extended until 23:30 GMT if it is oversubscribed. The Speaker says that's for the government to decide, but adds that he'd be happy to "sit up all night".

The SNP’s foreign affairs spokesman Alex Salmond has suggested the prime minister is limiting debate on Syrian air strikes to divide the Labour Party.

Speaking in the Commons he said: “If the leader of the House does not concede this (having a two-day debate) he’s creating a dangerous precedent and a very very unfortunate one and there must be a reason. Is it because the prime minister is more interested in dividing the Labour Party than uniting the country or is there some specific reason he does want to be in the House on Thursday?”

Chris Grayling said he knew of no specific reason the PM did not want to be in the House on Thursday and said that the length of time allocated for debate was “appropriate”.

Commons Leader Chris Grayling has been setting out the timetable for tomorrow's debate and vote on Syria in the Commons today.

A senior Conservative backbencher has warned the government that there are "many" Tory MPs who "won't necessarily vote for this motion" on Syria - and appealed to ministers to give more time for the issue to be debated.

Sir Edward Leigh said: 

He added:

Defence Committee chairman Julian Lewis, a Conservative, asks the defence secretary what assessment he has made of the risk of a confrontation between Western adnand Russian air forces "if both are bombing in the same battle space in Syria without mutual military coordination"?

Michael Fallon says there's a "memorandum of understanding" between the coalition and Russian forces in terms of air safety. The UK would come under the protection of that if it were to engage in air strikes in Syria. Moreover, the RAF are "well able" to defend themselves, he adds.

The government has published the text of its motion to authorise air strikes against IS in Syria, which will be debated by MPs on Wednesday. It reads, in full: