Nigel Farage says he does not support Britain launching air strikes in Syria 'on the current terms'
The Ukip leader criticised David Cameron's plans and said Britain should be prepared to work with Bashar al-Assad
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Your support makes all the difference.Nigel Farage has said he does not back bombing Syria on the “current terms” set out by the Prime Minister.
The Ukip leader was speaking on LBC radio the morning after MPs debated the intervention they rejected two years ago.
“I don’t back bombing Syria on current terms,” Mr Farage said. “Whether we bomb or not we still face threat on London's streets.”
He claimed David Cameron had a “poor record” on foreign policy and said the UK “may need to work with Putin and we may even have to work with Assad”.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly said the Syrian President has no place in the country’s future and has called for peaceful transition to a new government, in line with Barack Obama, Francois Hollande and other leaders in the US-led international coalition.
Mr Farage also addressed the continuing refugee crisis and claimed he does not “trust” the Government’s figure for annual net migration – announced at a record of 336,000 yesterday.
He claimed the number was being “grossly underestimated” and said immigration was creating “parallel societies” in the UK.
The Eurosceptic politician also used the Paris attacks to argue that people should vote to leave the union because its policies were “allowing extremist and dangerous people to come into Europe and ultimately to take EU passports, and they can then come to Britain”.
Citing the fact that at least two of the Isis militants who killed 130 people in the French capital are thought to have entered Europe on the refugee route through Greece, he argued for increased security.
“I think the Government should do is make sure that anyone who’s been to Syria has their passport removed and is not let back into the country,” he added.
“(If) they join the Islamic State – good for them…I don’t want them back.”
Addressing the House of Commons yesterday, Mr Cameron argued that British air strikes were key to defeating Isis, which he said viewed the UK as a “top tier” target.
He argued that extending British strikes to Syria would protect the British public from Isis but said no decision on whether to send RAF drones and planes will take place until he is sure he has a “clear majority” of MPs in favour.
Jeremy Corbyn responded by writing a letter saying he “cannot support” the Government’s current plans because he did not believe they would defend the British public.
The Leader of the Opposition wrote that although he was horrified by the “despicable” Paris attacks and was determined to see Isis defeated, he did not believe the Prime Minister had a “coherent strategy”.
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