Britain had to move quickly on Syria, ruling out parliamentary approval
British foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday the government took the decision to join missile strikes against Syria without securing parliamentary approval because it was focused on the speed and efficiency of the operation.
Asked why parliament was not recalled from its break before the attacks early on Saturday, Johnson told reporters:
"Obviously our prime consideration has to be the safety of our serving men and women and of course the effectiveness and speed of the operation. And there is plenty of precedent for getting it done in this way."
It comes after the leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said that all MP's shpuld have had a say and the legal basis used to support British air strikes in Syria was debatable, adding that he would only support action backed by the United Nations Security Council.
"I say to the foreign secretary, I say to the prime minister, where is the legal basis for this?" Corbyn said.
"The legal basis ... would have to be self defence or the authority of the UN Security Council. The humanitarian intervention is a legally debatable concept at the present time,".
Published: by Radio NewsHub