Two Thirds of British People Oppose Strikes on Syria

Local Editor

A poll published by The Independent British daily showed that "the Iraq War has turned the British public against any military intervention in the Middle East."

According to a ComRes survey for the daily, "By a margin of two-to-one, the British people oppose President Barack Obama's plan for military strikes against Syria and say that the UK should keep out of all conflicts in the region for the foreseeable future."
The ComRes survey suggests that MPs were right, at least according to public opinion, to veto air strikes by Britain last Thursday.

It found that only 29 per cent of people agree that the US, without Britain, should launch air strikes against the Syrian regime, while 57 per cent disagree.
Four out of five people believe that any military strikes against Syria should first be sanctioned by the United Nations, while 15 per cent disagree with this statement.
Asked whether the experience of the 2003 Iraq war means that Britain should keep out of military conflicts in the Middle East for the foreseeable future, 62 per cent agree and 31 per cent disagree.

A majority of supporters of every party agree with this statement, with Labor and UK Independence Party voters more likely to believe Britain should "keep out" than Conservative and Liberal Democrat voters.
After his Commons rebuff, a majority of people 54 per cent agree that David Cameron showed he is "out of touch with Britain" in his handling of the Syria crisis, while 34 per cent disagree. Worryingly for the Prime Minister, a third of current Tory supporters (33 per cent) and almost half of voters overall (42 per cent) believe Cameron showed he is out of touch, as do 76 per cent of Ukip supporters.

Andrew Mitchell, the Tory former International Development Secretary, said: "It may be, after lengthy and careful consideration, [the US] Congress affirms its support for the President's plans and, in the light of that, our Parliament may want to consider this matter further."

But Cameron's spokesman said: "Parliament has spoken and that is why the Government has absolutely no plans to go back to Parliament."
Downing Street indicated that Britain does not expect its military bases - such as RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus, less than 200 miles from Syria - to be used in any air strikes.

Source: The Independent, Edited by website team