Summary

  • 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

Live Reporting

Alex Hunt, Pippa Simm, Chris Davies, Aiden James and Rajdeep Sandhu

  1. Shadow cabinet arguments over Labour's Syria vote position

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  2. PM 'more likely to win Syria vote now' - Stop The War

    Stop the War Coalition convener tweets...

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  3. WATCH: Should Tory chairman quit?

    Conservative Home executive editor Mark Wallace joined Jo Coburn to discuss allegations a youth organiser bullied a young Tory activist who apparently took his own life.

    Claims of bullying have centred around Mark Clarke, who denies any wrongdoing.

    Conservative Home editor discusses pressure over bullying claims

  4. Powell arrives late due to shadow cabinet meeting

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Shadow education secretary Lucy Powell apologises for arriving slightly late to education questions in the Commons, saying "there was a very high profile meeting taking place... you can read all about it in the papers, I'm sure".

    She asks her government counterpart, Nicky Morgan, about the growing shortage of teachers.

    Before answering, Ms Morgan she's hoping Ms Powell can tell them whether she'll "carry on being a member of the shadow cabinet" after the vote on Syria.

    Addressing the question, she says she's aware of the challenge of teacher recruitment, and issues in certain subjects and areas of the country.

  5. WATCH: Rupa Huq, Dan Hodges and Rachel Shabi on Labour Syria whip

    The Daily Politics

    Discussion on whether Labour MPs should be forced to back Corbyn's position

  6. WATCH: Chris Bryant on short money cuts

    The Daily Politics

    Chris Bryant and Neil Parish discuss cuts to party funding

  7. WATCH: Rupa Huq and Neil Parish discuss case for Syria air strikes

    The Daily Politics

    Rupa Huq and Neil Parish discuss case for Syria air strikes

    Labour MP Rupa Huq said many Labour MPs she had spoken to were "sceptical" about the case made and she was minded to oppose strikes.

    But Mr Parish said he would back the government's plans for strikes, telling Jo Coburn: "we do need to deal with ISIL".

  8. Labour MP 'confused' over Labour's Syria vote position

    BBC News Channel

    Labour MP John Woodcock says he has thought a free vote "is the only way through this". He says Jeremy Corbyn seemed to support this principle when he was a backbencher. Mr Woodcock adds:

    I'm a little confused - which is not a new thing over the last couple of weeks - as to where the idea that would be against Labour policy would come from."

  9. Labour MP: Syria decision 'shouldn't be based on snap poll'

    BBC News Channel

    John Woodcock, Labour MP, also sounds a note of caution over Labour's poll of party members, which the party says shows 75% of members oppose bombing in Syria.

    He says people are entitled to express their views, but the idea that "any sort of snap online poll" would be scientific and therefore binding is "wrong". Such serious decisions should not be taken "on the basis of a snap opinion poll", he adds.

  10. Livingstone: Labour MPs 'completely out of line' over Syria

    BBC Newsnight

    Ken Livingstone tells BBC Newsnight the Parliamentary Labour Party has been "completely out of line" in its behaviour over Syria. 

    He says many MPs "can't come to terms with the fact that the voters rejected New Labour, and the party membership voted in Jeremy Corbyn". 

    He accepted that Jeremy Corbyn was right to hold a free vote - but he warned that MPs should remember that the "overwhelming majority of the party, the party membership, the NEC, are against war".

  11. Corbyn expected to offer Labour MPs a free vote on Syria
    Breaking

    The BBC understands that Jeremy Corbyn is expected to offer Labour MPs a free vote on air strikes against so-called Islamic State in Syria.

    However, we understand that he wants the party to take a position of opposition to military action.

  12. Bercow congratulates newly-married MP

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    In the Commons, education questions is under way. Speaker John Bercow takes a moment to offer his congratulations to education minister Nick Gibb on his recent marriage. Mr Gibb thanks him, and others, for their well wishes.

  13. Public 'wants government to act against IS'

    BBC News Channel

    Joe Twyman - from polling company YouGov - has said his organisation's research suggests the public wants the government to act against Islamic State militants - but there's little consensus on how far Britain should go.

    There's a recognition that politicians must act and the indecision lies on the degree to which they should act. Six out of 10 people support air-strikes compared to around about a quarter who oppose and then around about four out of 10 people - just over four out of 10 - support ground troops but just under four out of 10oppose ground troops. So when it comes to boots on the ground, to use the military term, it's far more divisive."

  14. Morgan answers questions on school funding formula

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Nicky Morgan

    Answering education questions, secretary of state Nicky Morgan says detailed plans of the new funding formula for schools will be outlined in the new year. She says low-funded areas need to be funded fairly and transparently.

    Peter Aldous, a Conservative MP points out "time is of the essence" when it comes to fairer funding.

    Meanwhile, Labour MP Ian Austin says the funding formula should take into account where children are under-performing, rather than a " crude one size fits all" approach. 

    Ms Morgan, replying, says he's got "the wrong end of the stick", saying the formula will take into to account the needs of disadvantaged people. She adds that the government has taken " difficult decisions" to tackle the current system.

    In answer to a question on whether parents will have to give contributions to schools she says there will be "no obligation" on parents to contribute and that it would be a voluntary decision. 

  15. Whipped votes and free votes - explained

    There's a lot of talk at the moment about whipped votes and free votes. What's the difference? MPs are usually "whipped" (not literally, of course) to vote for the party line. Members of the shadow cabinet who voted against that line would normally expect to be sacked, or have to resign. In a free vote, however, MPs can vote according to their conscience.

  16. Corbyn seeking two-day debate on Syria motion

    In a letter to David Cameron, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for a two-day debate on any motion he brings forward proposing air strikes against so-called Islamic State in Syria.

    In the view of the Opposition on a matter of such critical importance there must be full and adequate time for any debate in the House and only a full two day debate would ensure time for all Members who wish to participate to be able to do so."

    He says the country needs to be sure there has been the "fullest parliamentary discussion" on the matter - and says the debate would be "much better informed" by the views from the Foreign Affairs and Defence Select Committees following Mr Cameron's statement last week.

  17. Urgent questions and statements in the Commons

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    There's one urgent question today, from Labour MP Tristram Hunt on HS2. That'll be followed, at about 16:15 GMT, by a statement from Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt on junior doctors contracts.

  18. Corbyn to give shadow cabinet a free vote?

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  19. Can Labour reach agreement over Syria air strikes?

    BBC News Channel

    As Labour's shadow cabinet meets to discuss its position on extending UK military action to Syria, BBC chief political correspondent Vicki Young says it's "very hard" to see how they can reach agreement and end up with anything over than a free vote.

    One rumour, she says, is that leader Jeremy Corbyn may say the party is opposed to air strikes, but he would not sack shadow cabinet ministers who voted the other way.

  20. 'I would feel free to vote the way my conscience tells me'

    The World at One
    BBC Radio 4

    Here's Labour MP Angela Smith's explanation in full for why she would be prepared to rebel against a whipped vote on Syria air strikes, and back military action.

    Effective leadership requires careful consideration of the evidence when it comes to an important decision, and it requires a due regard for the views of the public, the views of people who vote for you and the views of the elected representatives. We are in danger of disregarding quite a lot of that, and in that case I would feel free to vote the way my conscience tells me to vote, against a three-line whip."