“As you will have seen and heard in the light of the Parliamentary debate and the votes in the House of Commons last night, the Prime Minister has decided that it would be wrong to commit British assets in any operations against the Syrian Government over their use of chemical weapons.
You may be interested to see, however, the advice that the Government received from the Joint Intelligence Committee and the Attorney General’s legal advice to the Cabinet.
I should add that I regret the decision of the House and I believe it to be the wrong one and that Britain and others should stand up for the Laws of War, the Geneva Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention.
As you will know, the Prime Minister strongly believes in the need for a tough response to the use of chemical weapons, but he also believes in respecting the will of the House of Commons and he understands that the British Parliament – reflecting the views of the British people - does not support British military action on this occasion and the Government will therefore act accordingly and I naturally, of course, share this view and accept it.”
Joint Intelligence Committee advice
Attorney General’s legal advice to the Cabinet