Jeremy Corbyn accused Theresa May of following Donald Trump’s orders (Picture: PA)

Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May clashed in Parliament as the Labour leader accused the prime minister of following Donald Trump’s ‘whims’ over the bombing of Syria.

Mr Corbyn faced shouts of ‘shame’ from Tory MPs during a heated debate in the Commons.

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Both leaders condemned the chemical attack by Bashar Al Assad’s regime that was the catalyst for the bombing.

But in response to Mrs May, Mr Corbyn said: “This statement serves as a reminder that the Prime Minister is accountable to this Parliament, not to the whims of the US President.’


He added: ‘We clearly need a War Powers Act in this country to transform a now broken convention into a legal obligation.

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‘Her predecessor came to this House to seek authority for military action in Libya and in Syria in 2015, and the House had a vote over Iraq in 2003.



‘There is no more serious issue than the life and death matters of military action. It is right that Parliament has the power to support or stop the Government from taking planned military action.’

Mrs May strongly denied that she was following Trump’s orders by agreeing to the bombing.

The prime minister said: ‘We have not done this because President Trump asked us to do so.

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‘We have done it because we believed it was the right thing to do.’

She added: ‘We cannot wait to alleviate further humanitarian suffering caused by chemical weapons attacks.

‘Let me be absolutely clear. We have acted because it is in our national interest to do so.

‘It is in our national interest to prevent the further use of chemical weapons in Syria and to uphold and defend the global consensus that these weapons should not be used.’