Leading the news on BBC Radio 4, are reports that “the stage is set for a showdown” between Jeremy Corbyn and his shadow cabinet over the issue of air strikes in Syria.
In the newspapers, The Telegraph, The Times and The Independent all splash on the Labour party’s views regarding the expected vote on air strikes.
Syria
In an article in The Daily Telegraph, General Sir Richard Shirreff, the former Nato deputy supreme allied commander Europe, said Britain will have to put soldiers on the ground in Syria if it wants to defeat ISIL. The article says the Prime Minister is expected to ask MPs to back air strikes in Syria within days but has insisted there will be no British troops on the ground. According to The Times, the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon conceded that a 70,000-strong force in Syria was “not a new model army, all perfectly drilled and organised”, amid growing questions about its scale and calibre from MPs. Mr Fallon told the BBC that it was not “ministers making [up] this figure” but the number represented an assessment by the independent joint intelligence committee and said it was supported by academics.
The Telegraph also reports that former military leaders and a senior MP have warned the RAF will not be able to sustain an effective bombing campaign because of a lack of aircraft. The article says military sources suggested between two and six extra jets are being lined up to join the eight-strong force already carrying out strikes in Iraq, but Air Vice Marshal Sir John Walker, the former Chief of Defence Intelligence, said 24 aircraft would be needed if Britain was to have an impact. A MOD spokesperson said:
We provide around a third of the coalition’s high-end precision strike capability – a figure that will increase if we secure parliamentary approval to strike ISIL in Syria as well as Iraq. That means we can strike the most difficult targets at speed, with high precision and minimal collateral damage.
The Daily Mail writes that laser-guided British missiles are on standby to wipe out terror chiefs if attacks in Syria are authorised. The report says the Brimstone missile, which can hit a small, fast-moving target, could be used by RAF pilots to assassinate ISIL leaders one by one.
Army medics
The Guardian, Daily Mirror, Times and Daily Express report on strike action by junior doctors, which the British Medical Association has said is now “almost inevitable”. The papers write that NHS England is planning to call in Army doctors to cover the strikes which will affect A&E units. According to reports, emergency care only will be covered on Tuesday followed by full walkouts from 8am to 5pm on December 8 and 16. The Express leads with the Army medic angle, saying that NHS chiefs are expected to bring in up to 500 doctors in case staff shortages threaten patient services. The paper writes that the Sandhurst-trained staff – many with battle experience – are banned from taking industrial action because they are military personnel.
The MOD can confirm that there are no plans for military personnel to cover junior doctor posts in the event of industrial action.
Brigadier Nesmith
The Daily Telegraph has interviewed Brigadier Sharon Nesmith, the first woman to be in charge of a frontline brigade. Speaking about her new role, she said she wanted to avoid having that "female tag" and didn’t want attention for being a female in a male environment. As commander of 1 Signal Brigade, Brig Nesmith oversees 1,500 frontline troops whose role is to set up communications in hostile environments at a moment’s notice, the in-depth story states.
Mali
The Daily Telegraph reports that Major Ralph Roylance, together with 20 other soldiers from 1st Bn, Royal Gurkha Rifles, is training Mali’s army to stand up to jihadists in the Malian town of Koulikoro on the Niger. The story follows the recent attack on a hotel in Mali’s capital, Bamako, by al-Qaeda. Major Roylance is quoted as saying the Malians are very enthusiastic and keen to learn, and are proud to be trained by Gurkhas and British soldiers. The mission also offers lessons in leadership to senior officers, according to the piece.
