Broadcasters and nearly all of the front pages focus on the Prime Minister’s announcement last night that there will be a vote on extending airstrikes to Syria on Wednesday. There are also reports on HMS Richmond's drugs seizure in the Mediterranean.
Syria
There is significant coverage on the possibility of extending air strikes into Syria on the front pages and in opinion pieces. The Guardian says David Cameron’s vote on Wednesday means RAF crews could be bombing ISIL in Syria by the end of the week. The Daily Mail leads with the claim that Britain is preparing to start bombing ISIL in Syria within 48 hours and that the RAF is now readying Typhoon and Tornados to launch the first air strikes. The Times front page also reports the 48-hour timeframe and looks at the possible outcome of the vote. The Times and the Daily Mail say RAF strike jets are on standby and ready to head for Cyprus and that David Cameron will double the number of fast jets making bombing raids from Cyprus to 16 upon successfully securing the support of MPs.
The Financial Times reports that the Prime Minister has admitted that any campaign will "take time", but says: "It is in the national interest: it's the right thing to do; we'll be acting with our allies; we'll be careful and responsible as we do so, but in my view it's right to do this to help to keep our country safe".
In its leader, The Telegraph warns the Government that concerns remain, asserting that the aim must be the destruction of ISIL, "nothing more and nothing less". Similarly The Times leader urges the Prime Minister to reinforce support for UK action by addressing questions over what the British contribution will bring to operations and on the 70,000 "moderate" ground forces. The Mirror argues that without answers, there will be a suspicion that the action is a "gesture".
Speaking recently on the Andrew Marr show, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
This is a matter on which individual MPs have to make up their minds. They’ve been asking questions. We’re doing our best to answer them, to explain that France wants us to help, the United Nations has passed the resolution, that there are strong military reasons for using our aircraft in this battle. We’re making these arguments and I hope MPs will look at them individually.
The commanders last week had around 25 aircraft available with precision strike capability. Eight of those were British Tornadoes. That’s a third of them. Of the unmanned aircraft flying in the region at the moment, about a quarter are British. So we have a very large proportion of high precision strike capability and that’s why the French have specifically asked us to help and why the coalition would welcome the RAF participating. We’re already doing that in Iraq.
Christmas campaign
The Mirror has launched its Christmas appeal in aid of ex-servicemen. The X Factor judges are backing the paper as it supports charity Walking with the Wounded, which helps those with physical injuries, mental health problems including PTSD and assists veterans back into civilian life. The Walking Home for Christmas appeal launch features the case study of former Afghanistan Army officer Stewart Hill, who has two pieces of shrapnel lodged near his brain stem.
HMS Richmond drugs seizure
ITV has reported that the crew of Royal Navy warship, HMS Richmond, have seized around £3m worth of cannabis during a security patrol in the Mediterranean. Richmond's team recovered 1,015kg of cannabis that was bound for mainland Europe and potentially the UK. Officials estimate the drugs would have had a value of around £3 million had they reached the streets of the UK.
Armed Forces Minister Penny Mordaunt said:
This goes to show the value of the Royal Navy, not just keeping key shipping channels safe but stopping the illicit trade in drugs. Our cutting edge warships and highly trained personnel have once again proved their flexibility to adapt their tasking to the war on drugs with good effect.
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