Jeremy Corbyn has demanded MPs be given a vote on potential UK military action against Syria amid suggestions Theresa May could join forces with Donald Trump to launch a joint strike.

The Labour leader said parliament must be consulted over any decision to launch British air strikes against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

He also called on the government to help "get every country, including the US and Russia, as well as the neighbouring states, around the table in Geneva to bring about a political solution".

It comes amid mounting speculation over potential UK support for US air strikes against the Syrian government, which is accused of using chemical weapons against its own civilians in the town of Douma.

Ms May warned on Wednesday that the "continued use of chemical weapons cannot go unchallenged" and vowed to work closely with the UK's allies to orchestrate a response.

Donald Trump has promised a "forceful" reaction and said he would make "major decisions" this week, while France's Emmanuel Macron is also said to be ready to act.

However, Mr Corbyn warned against action that could lead to a "hot war between Russia and America over the skies of Syria".

Asked during a visit to Plymouth about the possibility of MPs voting on the issue of military strikes, Mr Corbyn told the BBC: "Parliament should always be given a say on military action. That’s a case that I’ve made going back many, many years in parliament.

"Obviously the situation is very serious. Obviously there has to be, now, a demand for a political process to end the war in Syria. We cannot risk an escalation even further than it’s gone already."

Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Show all 14 1 /14 Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A Syrian woman and children run for cover amid the rubble of buildings. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Smoke rises from buildings following the attack on the village of Mesraba in the rebel-held besieged Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascu. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Injured children receive medical treatment. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A Syrian man carries a child injured. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures An injured child receives treatment following bombings on several areas of eastern Ghouta. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A child reacts inside a hospital after relatives were injured in the bombing. EPA Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian children cry at a make-shift hospital in Douma following air strikes on the Syrian village of Mesraba. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian Civil Defense group extinguishing a store during airstrikes and shelling by Syrian government forces. AP Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures A wounded 12-year-old Syrian boy, cries as he receives treatment at a make-shift hospital. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrians carry a wounded man. AFP/Getty Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures An injured man covered with blood at a medical point. Reuters Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures People sit a medical point in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta. Reuters Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Syrian Civil Defense running to help survivors. AP Eastern Ghouta bombings: Syrian war in pictures Injured children receive medical treatment. EPA

While describing the attack on Douma as "terrible", Mr Corbyn warned: "What we don’t want is bombardment which leads to escalation and leads to a hot war between Russia and America over the skies of Syria.

"So what I’m saying is listen to what the UN says, listen to what the UN general secretary says, undertake the inquiry into the source and usage of the chemical weapons but, above all, get every country including the US and Russia, as well as the neighbouring states, around the table in Geneva to being about a political solution.

"We cannot go on with hundreds of thousands dying and millions going into refugee status."

Donald Trump: 'nothing is off the table' for US response to alleged Syria chemical attack

Asked about the prospect of recalling Parliament during a visit to Birmingham on Wednesday, Ms May sidestepped the question, saying only that Britain would work with its “closest ally to see how those responsible can be held to account” for the Douma attack, which is said to have killed between 40 and 70 people and left some 500 needing treatment.

The prime minister said she was “appalled” but “not surprised” by Russia’s decision to veto a draft UN resolution seeking to determine responsibility for the attack, adding: “There can be no role now for investigations by the United Nations.”