Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has condemned a suspected chemical attack in Syria and called on all parties to urgently cooperate with the United Nations in finding out who was responsible.



Asked by BuzzFeed News directly whether he believed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was behind the attack, Corbyn declined to comment, pointing instead to the UN inquiry and saying "evidence is important".

As many as 70 people were killed in the poison attack in the rebel-held enclave of Douma, near the capital Damascus, according to medics, activists, and rescue workers.

Images circulating on social media showed the lifeless bodies of men, women, and children, including infants, foaming at the mouth, a symptom of chemical attacks. The footage could not be independently confirmed.

Speaking at Labour's local elections launch in London on Monday, Corbyn said: "I condemn it absolutely. I condemn the use of chemical and biological weapons in any scenario anywhere in the world.

"The United Nations has called for an urgent and rapid inquiry into it and indeed a reopening of inquiries into previous uses of chemical weapons. The tragedy and the terror of people's lives in Syria can only end by a political solution.

"That means every country in the region – every country in the region – as well as Russia and the United States coming together to ensure there is a meaningful ceasefire and there is a political process to bring about a political solution to the terror and the tragedy and the conflict that has wasted so many lives in Syria.

"And I call on all parties to cooperate urgently with the UN who are conducting an inquiry into this so we can find out exactly who delivered that chemical weapon. The evidence is important and the use of international law is crucial if we are to bring about a more peaceful and stable world in the future."

Later on Monday, on a visit to Denmark, prime minister Theresa May also condemned the "barbaric" attack in Douma – warning that Assad and Russia had questions to answer.

"We must urgently establish what happened on Saturday," she said. "If confirmed, this is yet another example of the Assad regime's brutality and brazen disregard for its own people and for its legal obligations not to use these weapons.



"If they are found to be responsible, the regime and its backers including Russia must be held to account."