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Tory Black Country MPs back David Cameron on Syrian airstrikes

Conservative MPs in the Black Country and Staffordshire have said David Cameron has made a clear case for carrying out airstrikes in Syria - and insist their Labour counterparts should not be blocked from backing the Prime Minister's plan.

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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn held crunch talks with his Shadow Cabinet yesterday about whether the party's MPs should be given a free vote on the issue.

Mr Corbyn is opposed to airstrikes targeting IS in Syria and Mr Cameron needs to get Labour MPs onside if he is to get a vote through the House of Commons.

Several Labour MPs in the Black Country said they remain undecided ahead of a potential vote.

Wolverhampton South West MP Rob Marris said he had yet to make up his mind but would be prepared to defy the whip if Mr Corbyn ordered his MPs to vote against airstrikes.

He said: "It's a question of life and death - of course it's a free vote, it should be up to MPs. I will vote in the way I feel is right. I don't think anything on war should be a whipped vote."

Mr Marris said he was not yet satisfied the Prime Minister had convinced him there was an appropriate plan for stabilising Syria.

"It is very easy to start bombing and it's very understandable, but bombing alone will not suffice," he said. "It is not clear to me what else Mr Cameron is proposing to move towards resolving this terrible situation."

Labour MP for Walsall North David Winnick said he was not in favour of airstrikes but agreed MPs should be free to vote as they wish. He also criticised Mr Corbyn, who frequently rebelled against his own party during his many years as a backbencher.

"MPs should vote, as the leader of the Labour Party has done for a third of a century, by making up their own minds," he said.

Fellow Labour MPs Emma Reynolds and Ian Austin have begun contacting constituents to gauge the views of the public before making a final decision.

Conservative MP for Dudley South Mike Wood believes airstrikes in Syria are necessary to protecting Britain. Mr Austin, MP for Dudley North, has been a critic of the Coryn leadership while Miss Reynolds, who represents Wolverhampton North East, resigned from the Shadow Cabinet in the wake of his election.

He said: "I have listened to constituents and what the Prime Minister has said and there is a very clear and strong case as to why we need to expand the current action in Iraq to cover Isil in Syria as well.

"We know there are lots of Labour MPs, including in the West Midlands, who are furious Jeremy Corbyn is trying to railroad them into doing what they think is the wrong thing.

"The idea that we are putting ourselves at risk by taking action is absolutely ludicrous. Security services and intelligence services are already agreed we are already at the very highest category in terms of Isil targets."

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