Debate on Syria on 11 July
9 July 2013
On Thursday 11 July MPs debated the subject of Parliamentary consent to arming anti-government forces in Syria. The Backbench Business Committee scheduled this debate following a representation from John Baron
Watch the debate and read a transcript
The debate was opened by John Baron.
The motion states:
"That this House believes no lethal support should be provided to anti-government forces in Syria without the explicit prior consent of Parliament."
The motion was passed by 114 votes to one.
Watch the debate on Parliament TV and read the views expressed by MPs in Commons Hansard.
- Parliament TV: Debate on a motion relating to Parliamentary consent to arming anti-government forces in Syria
- Commons Hansard: Debate on a motion relating to Parliamentary consent to arming anti-government forces in Syria
How the subject was selected
The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee following a representation from John Baron the Committee’s public meeting on 2 July 2013.
Backbench Business Committee
The Backbench Business Committee meets weekly on Tuesdays at 3pm to consider requests for debates from any backbench Members of Parliament on any subject, including those raised in e-petitions or national campaigns.
An MP must make a representation before the Committee for an e-petition or petition to be debated; e-petitions exceeding the Government's 100,000 signature threshold are not automatically allocated backbench time.
The Committee then has to decide how to allocate the limited Parliamentary time it has at its disposal. The Committee's meetings are always conducted in public and can be watched on Parliament TV.