Theresa May is clearing the way to launch attacks on the Syrian regime, despite multiple polls showing only one in five Brits support missile attacks.
The Prime Minister has recalled her cabinet ministers from an Easter break in anticipation of action, and they will be asked to “consider the next steps” at a meeting this afternoon, a Downing Street source told The Times.
Mrs. May is reportedly prepared to take action without seeking parliamentary consent, as leaders have done before military action in recent times, and attack submarines, armed with cruise missiles, are understood to be moving into range.
However, a survey by the newspaper reveals that only a fifth of people supports missile strikes, with twice as many opposed. A YouGov poll put the proportion of supporters a fraction higher, at 22 per cent, and the same number opposed.
So far, the UK has been launching air strikes in Syria from its military base in Cyprus, but only against targets linked to the Islamic State terrorist group.