Urgent Debate: UK Air Strikes in Syria

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 7:38 pm on 18 April 2018.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 7:38, 18 April 2018

Diolch, Llywydd. I just want to be absolutely clear that the Government abstained in the vote to take forward this emergency debate, not because we don't think this is a very important subject—because clearly it is a very important subject of the deepest and most profound significance—but because we believe that international affairs and decisions about whether to launch military action against another sovereign nation are non-devolved matters and, as such, should be debated in the Houses of Parliament rather than here in the National Assembly.

As this debate has demonstrated, there are a large number of passionately held, strongly held and morally held views on this basis. They are held across the Chamber and all of their variety has been demonstrated in this debate today. We are glad that Members had the chance to do that and that's why the Government abstained in the Assembly making the decision. I'm very pleased to have heard everybody's views on that matter, but our position formally remains that it's not for this Government to comment on the actions of another Parliament and that the proper place to debate these matters is in the Houses of Parliament. Diolch.