Syria

Fiona Onasanya Excerpts

Monday 16th April 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My right hon. Friend asks about other countries playing their part in providing humanitarian support and support for refugees. She is absolutely right. I hope, at the conference due to take place in Brussels towards the end of this month, that countries will step up so we can ensure that support is available.

[Fiona Onasanya (Peterborough) (Lab)]

In the Prime Minister’s statement, she said:

“We are confident in our own assessment that the Syrian regime was highly likely responsible”.

Surely the burden of proof should be beyond reasonable doubt, as opposed to being “highly likely”? In addition, I would be interested to know who “we” are, given that Parliament was not consulted.

[The Prime Minister]

The Government made their assessments. Those were not just the view of the UK Government; they were shared by our allies and on that basis we acted.