david cameron today insisted that a 'few extra bombs and missiles' will not transform the situation in syria, but pushed for britain to join airstrikes against isis. the prime minister said it makes no sense that the raf must respect an international border no longer recognised by jihadi fanatics plotting attacks on the uk. france, which last night launched a series of 'massive' air strikes on isis in syria, has said it would be 'appreciated' if britain joined the fight. but mr cameron warned he has yet to persuade enough mps to ensure a vote on military action was not defeated by labour leader jeremy corbyn, who today said it could bring 'more mayhem and more loss'. raf tornados are carrying out bombing raids against isis in iraq but david cameron has yet to build support in parliament for military action in neighbouring syria speaking at a press conference at the g20 summit in turkey, david cameron today insisted that a 'few extra bombs and missiles' will not transform the situation in syria in the wake of the deadly gun and bomb attacks in paris, 10 french jets dropped 20 bombs on the isis capital of raqqa, destroying a key command centre, training camp and munitions dump and throwing the city into panic. the bombardment came just two days after president francois hollande said the co-ordinated attacks in paris that killed up to 129 people was an 'act of war' and vowed to strike isis in syria 'without mercy'. the jets launched from sites in jordan and the persian gulf, in coordination with u.s. forces. france's foreign minister laurent fabius said his country was justified in taking action in syria. 'it was normal to take the initiative and action and france had the legitimacy to do so. we did it already in the past, we have conducted new airstrikes in raqqa today, fabius said. 'one cannot be attacked harshly, and you know the drama that is happening in paris, without being present and active.' however, britain is not taking part in the action in syria because mps have so far refused to authorise the extension of airstrikes in neighbouring iraq. mr cameron was humiliated in 2013 when tory rebels joined with labour to vote down a plan to launch missile strikes against the assad regime. there is a very strong case for saying isil doesn't stop at the iraq/syria border and therefore neither should we prime minister david cameron it forced the pm into an embarrassing retreat and damaged relations with us president barack obama who had to go it alone in sending jets into syrian airspace. however, public outrage at the paris attacks and the wider refugee crisis fuelled by the rise of isis has put the issue back on the table. speaking at a press conference at the g20 summit in turkey, mr cameron said: 'there is a very strong case for saying isil doesn't stop at the iraq/syria border and therefore neither should we, but i recognise that i need to do more to build this argument, build this case, to take parliament with me. 'i think people want to know that there is a whole plan for the future of syria, the future of the region, because it is perfectly right to say that a few extra bombs and missiles won't transform the situation. 'as the secretary-general of the united nations put it a few years ago: 'a missile can kill a terrorist, but it is good government and good governance that can kill terrorism'. that is what we need.' david cameron, who today met russian president vladimir putin to push for a political solution to the crisis in syria, warned it makes no sense not to extend the strikes across a border which isis itself does not recognise mr cameron has repeatedly made clear he believes it makes no sense not to extend the strikes across a border which isis itself does not recognise. he told bbc radio 4's today programme: 'i support the action in syria. we are part of the enablers for that. it is happening anyway. the question is should we go further in joining that action. 'i've always said i think it is sensible that we should. isil does not recognise a border between iraq and syria and neither should we. 'but i need to build the argument. i need to take it to parliament. i need to convince more people.' he insisted that british 'military hard power' was already having an effect in iraq, where isis has 'lost about 25 to 30 per cent of the territory that they held'. uk military forces including drones had also been used to help find, target and kill leading isis fighters posing a direct threat to britain, including former cardiff schoolboy reyaad khan, killed by a british drone in syria in august. british intelligence planes were also involved in the mission to trace isis murderer jihadi john, who was killed by an american drone strike on thursday. labour leader jeremy corbyn warned that increased military action was not the solution to the crisis, and ruled out giving his mps a free vote on military intervention labour will not get a free vote on bombing isis in syria jeremy corbyn faces a challenge from his own mps over military action in syria after he ruled out allowing a free vote on bombing the isis stronghold. the labour leader told sky news: i’m hoping we will be able to come to that position in agreement, actually with a number of other conservatives, so that is indeed the position i’m putting forward. i don’t think a free vote is something that we’re offering. it puts him on collision course with dozens of labour mps who privately think britain should step up its involvement. chris leslie, former shadow chancellor, said: 'we shouldn't pre-empt any proposal about how to tackle the isis threat or rule anything out at this stage, surely?' advertisement but mr cameron insisted he would not force a vote in the commons on action in syria unless he was sure he could win. 'we won't hold that vote unless we can see that parliament would endorse that action because to fail on this would be damaging - it's not a question of damaging the government, its a question of not damaging our country and its reputation in the world. 'so i will build the case but in the end parliament must decide. 'i have made the promise to parliament as previous prime ministers have done that we won't commit to military action in a premeditate way without having a vote. 'of course i think the british military would bring greater effect to what's happening in syria. 'what we should be doing as well as building the argument doesn't stop at the iraq-syria border is we should be pushing for this political settlement which in the end is going to be the way that gives us a government in syria that can represent all of the syrian people and be our ally in wiping out the scourge of islamist terror that is leading to the loss of life in our own countries and the middle east.' however the tory government the faces opposition from both labour and dozens of conservative mps. labour leader mr corbyn warned that increased military action was not the solution to the crisis. he told itv's lorraine: 'does the bombing change it? probably not. the idea has to be, surely, a political settlement in syria, very difficult to achieve. 'there are some signs that the talks over the weekend have made some progress - iran, russia, usa, european union, around a table together with all the regional governments, particularly turkey is key. 'but also, who's funding isis, who is arming isis, who's providing safe havens for isis to get there. 'you have to ask questions about the arms that everyone has sold in the region, the role of saudi arabia in this, i think there are some very big questions and we have to be careful. one war doesn't necessarily bring about peace, it often can bring yet more conflict and more mayhem and more loss.' france's ambassador to the uk sylvie bermann has said it would be 'appreciated' if the raf carried out raids in syria alongside the french. she told murnaghan: 'it is difficult to comment because it is not only a government decision but they have decided to consult with the parliament. if they do participate like us, of course we will appreciate it because we have always fought side by side but it is their decision.' she added: 'we have to fight side by side if we want to defeat terrorism. ' former prime minister tony blair called for britain to join airstrikes in syria last week, before the paris attacks: 'it's no great secret; i think it is essential for britain to play its part in the fight against this hideous extremism that is brutalising the lives of so many people.' one of the ten french fighter jets prepares to take off from an airbase in the united arab emirates french fighter jets launch a wave of 'massive' air strikes on isis in syria as the country started its 'pitiless' retribution for the paris attacks seven attacks foiled in the last year as 1,900 spies hired britain is to recruit an extra 1,900 spies to counter the threat posed by isis terror cells in syria. david cameron today revealed seven deadly plots to cause havoc in the uk have been disrupted in the last 12 months. but he warned that the scale and severity of the attacks in paris which left 129 people dead were far greater than anything seen by intelligence agencies to date. the security and intelligence services will receive a major increase in funding in response to the isis threat, which has been blamed for the bombing of a russian airliner in egypt and the paris attack in recent weeks. mr cameron announced a 15 per cent increase in the 12,700-strong staff of the security and intelligence agencies mi5, mi6 and gchq with the recruitment of an additional 1,900 personnel. meanwhile spending on aviation security will increase to at least double the current £9million a year. the prime minister said the uk was engaged in a 'generational struggle' against extremist terror. the additional spending will help 'combat those who would destroy us and our values' and allow britons to 'continue with our way of life we hold so dear'. he told bbc radio 4's today programme: 'i have been aware of these cells operating in syria that are radicalising people in our own country, potentially sending people back to carry out attacks. 'our security services have stopped seven attacks in the last six months, albeit on a smaller scale.' downing street later clarified that the figure was for the last year. plans for how to respond to a paris-style marauding gun attack have been reviewed in the wake of the paris atrocity, which marked a change in the nature of isis plots. 'it could've happened here,' mr cameron said. 'we stand in total solidarity with france after the appalling attacks in paris. advertisement tory mp crispin blunt, the chairman of the commons foreign affairs committee, said an raf bombing campaign in syria would be an 'ineffective move' because 'it wouldn't be part of a coherent international plan to achieve our mission which is the defeat of isis'. mr blunt told sky news: 'whether or not eight british aeroplanes should fly slightly wider air operations is not going to change anything militarily, the french are already flying there, the americans are already flying the vast number of the missions there alongside now the russians as well. 'making that picture slightly more complex is not actually going to change the outcome and what we've got to do here is to focus on the outcome. what's the mission? the mission is to defeat isis, we're not going to defeat the ideology immediately, that's going to take a much longer time but it's much easier to make sure that we can't have attacks projected on us such as the ones we've had in paris if isis does not control territory and there is nowhere for people to go, of whatever type, to go and fight for them. 'that territory has got to be taken off them, we've got to have an agreement about how to do that.' labour under mr corbyn has vowed to oppose any extension of british involvement, calling for a 'peaceful' solution to the conflict. however the hardline stance risks putting him increasingly at odds with voters appalled at the paris attacks. shadow foreign secretary hilary benn told sky news that it was not possible 'to defeat isil in syria just by dropping bombs'. shadow international development secretary diane abbott said labour will only consent to extending military action into syria if there is a un mandate to do so. speaking in the wake of the paris terror attacks, the shadow international development secretary diane abbott, outlined the circumstances which will be required for her party to back a bid to extend the uk's military role from iraq and into syria. she told murnaghan on sky news: 'as far as labour's policy in relation to syria, we actually discussed this at party conference and we have a policy. 'we can only agree to bomb in syria first of all if there is a un resolution and also, and this is my particular concern, if there is a plan to deal with the refugees that will result from further military action.' when asked if the paris attacks had changed any of that, ms abbott said: 'yes, it is a game changer in that it makes the need to resolve the civil war in syria even more urgent than it was and that's part of labour party's policy, that we put the need for a diplomatic solution to the syrian civil war right at the top of the agenda.'
david cameron still wants to push for airstrikes against isis in syria