Questions are being asked why the Isle of Wight MP, Andrew Turner, didn’t vote on the main motion on air strikes in Syria.
You can’t have missed that yesterday (Wednesday) the House of Commons ran a day-long debate on whether aircraft should be sent to carry out bombing raids in Syria.
MPs from all sides spoke on the subject, ending in a vote after 10pm.
Neither yes or no
Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Andrew Turner’s name does not appear in the official record (Hansard) either in the Yes or No lists (Ayes or Noes in Parliament’s language), showing that he didn’t vote.
Parliament doesn’t officially record whether people didn’t vote (abstain) and the majority of national papers don’t list them either. The Mirror Website lists the Isle of Wight’s MP as ‘Abstain’. It’s widely reported that seven Conservative MPs abstained.
He had been present
Just prior to the main vote, Andrew Turner’s name does appear in the voting list, in support of an amendment which sought to block military action in Syria, where he voted Yes. The majority of the House voted against this.
On Tuesday Andrew Turner issued a press releases saying that he was ‘not yet convinced’ of the case to bomb Syria.
Why Andrew Turner abstained
This morning, Andrew Turner told OnTheWight,
“On the final vote, along with a number of colleagues with similar concerns, I abstained, that is neither voted in favour or against. That is because I am not against air strikes per se, but I could not actively support them unless they formed part of a strategic plan. I believe we need to take action to address Daesh and I know that colleagues of all parties thought very carefully before they voted last night, I certainly did.
“I voted in favour of an amendment put forward by John Baron MP that called for us to defer air strikes in Syria. That amendment was defeated, but I supported it because I believe that greater clarity is needed about the wider strategy needed to deal effectively with Daesh and the terrorist jihadists. I have always suspected that once there is greater unity with foreign allies, in particular the position of the Russians, and clarity about the ‘boots on the ground’, air strikes may well be a part of what is needed to win this war. I set out my concerns about these two issues in my speech on Monday. I know also that many Islanders share my doubts and I am grateful to them for taking the trouble to contact me.
“As I said earlier this week, there are no easy answers; this is not a black and white, clear cut issue – just choosing the least worst of a number of unpalatable options.
“I believe in democracy, which, as Hilary Benn MP, the Shadow Foreign Secretary said last night in a brilliant speech, the Islamic terrorists despise and hate us for. However, as John McDonnell MP the Shadow Chancellor said this morning, the best speeches do not necessarily prove to be right in the long term. Only time will show the wisdom of the decision taken last night.
“Now that the question is settled and the airstrikes have begun we must hope that innocent civilian lives are not lost. We should also all support the armed forces who daily face our enemies on our behalf, and pray that these tactics prove successful, whatever our reservations may be.”
Update 09:35: Added screen grab from The Mirror and number of MPs abstaining. 9:47 Added link to MP’s Tuesday statement.
10.24 Added statement from Andrew Turner
Image: joe57spike under CC BY 2.0
