Syria crisis: Britain may not be able to join military action in Jeremy Corbyn becomes Labour leader

Mr Cameron would need the backing of Labour to ensure any motion on military action made it through the House of Commons,

Jeremy Corbyn (Getty)

Britain may be unable to take any military action in Syria if Jeremy Corbyn is elected as Labour party leader.

Senior party figures and former military leaders told The Daily Telegraph today Mr Corbyn’s strong opposition to airstrikes and deployment of British troops in Syria could scupper any government plans.

Mr Cameron would need the backing of Labour to ensure any motion on military action made it through the House of Commons, as at least 30 of his own MPs are reported to be likely to rebel.

But General Lord Dannatt, a former head of the Army, told The Daily Telegraph a victory for Corbyn "will make it much harder and far less likely for David Cameron to be able to get a vote for air intervention over Syria".

Admiral Lord West of Spithead, a security minister in Gordon Brown's government and a former head of the Royal Navy said if Mr Corbyn won "it is unlikely that David Cameron will go to Parliament again because he will have people on his side voting against him. He doesn't want to risk another defeat".

While Adam Ingram, a former Labour armed forces minister, told the Telegraph Mr Corbyn's opposition to bombing in Syria would "split not only the Labour Party but a large part of the Labour-supporting public, because the vast majority of British people understand that we have to tackle evil when we see it".