Syria air strikes: Majority of NI MPs back UK air strikes in Syria Published duration 2 December 2015 Related Topics Syrian civil war

image caption The vote followed a ten-hour debate in the House of Commons

A majority of Northern Ireland's 18 MPs have backed UK air strikes in Syria during Wednesday's Commons vote.

In total, 397 voted that the UK should join other countries in bombing targets in Syria and 223 voted against.

The DUP and the Ulster Unionists backed the government as did the independent North Down MP Lady Sylvia Hermon. The SDLP voted against airstrikes.

It is believed there was a full turn-out of sitting MPs from Northern Ireland which meant 11 out of 14 local MPs voted in favour of airstrikes.

The vote followed a 10-hour debate at Westminster.

image caption Ms Ritchie said the prime minister had made the "wrong decision" by not apologising

Earlier, the SDLP criticised David Cameron for failing to apologise for calling opponents of airstrikes in Syria "terrorist sympathisers".

Speaking outside the Commons, South Down MP Margaret Ritchie said he needed to say sorry.

The prime minister faced calls from a number of MPs to make an apology. He declined, but said there was "honour" in voting for or against military action.

Ms Ritchie said it was the wrong decision.

"David Cameron refused today to apologise," she said.

"I feel it would have been better for him to do so because none of us are terrorists who will be going through the no lobby tonight against military strikes."

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) announced earlier on Wednesday that its eight MPs would support action against so-called Islamic State

media caption Nigel Dodds: 'Terrorism must be fought with all means at disposal'

Speaking during the debate, the party's Nigel Dodds told the Commons that not to back airstrikes in Syria would be a "dereliction of duty".

Mr Dodds said lessons from Northern Ireland needed to be learned on how to deal with terrorism.

The Ulster Unionist Party's two MPs also supported the government motion but SDLP MPs voted against it.

The leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), Colum Eastwood, said his party's three MPs would "proudly walk through the voting lobbies with our colleagues in Labour, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru and other parties to oppose military action".

'Terrorist sympathisers'

image caption SDLP leader Colum Eastwood criticised the Prime Minister for labelling those opposed to military action in Syria as 'terrorist sympathisers'

"David Cameron's remarks describing those opposed to air strikes in Syria as 'terrorist sympathisers' are appalling, inaccurate and offensive in the extreme," the SDLP leader said.

"Opposing military action in Syria that will kill innocents and can only feed the evil we all want to defeat is not sympathy with terrorists, it's part of the lesson we have learned from decades of conflict."

'Act decisively'

The DUP is the joint fourth biggest party at Westminster, with the same number of MPs as the Liberal Democrats.

In a statement, Mr Dodds said the DUP had sought assurances from the government before promising to support the motion.

"After repeated briefings from the National Security Council on privy council terms, and much discussion with the prime minister and others in government, we have concluded that the time is right for us to act, and to act decisively," the DUP deputy leader said.

"Terrorism requires an answer from all civilised countries. We in Northern Ireland know what it's like for terrorism to be ignored or appeased."

He said the DUP had opposed the "failed strategy advocated in 2013" but said there was "now a realistic chance that overwhelming pressure can be brought to bear" against the Islamic State group.

Undecided

The Ulster Unionist MPs both have military backgrounds.

Last week, the UUP's South Antrim MP Danny Kinahan told the Commons he wanted to see the Islamic State group "totally defeated".