Military action against Colonel Gadaffi may “end up in a Libyan civil war”, local Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn warned parliament in an impassioned speech this week.
The member for Islington North was one of just 12 MPs to vote against a motion supporting British action against Gadaffi, while 557 MPs backed the motion.
During a lively six-hour exchange in the House of Commons Mr Corbyn explained: “We have not thought through the implications of what we are doing now in Libya. I suspect that we might end up in a Libyan civil war for a long time.
He continued: “This not the only occasion on which we will debate the subject in the House – this is the easy bit; the hard part is yet to come.”
MPs were debating the government’s decision to support UN attempts to enforce a “no-fly zone” over Libya to protect citizens from Colonel Gadaffi’s forces.
Mr Corbyn, who has long been involved with human rights issues and international affairs organisations – and voted against the Iraq War in 2003, said: “We are in an interesting period in history.
“We must use the opportunity to reassess our foreign policy, our arms sales policy and the way in which we get into bed with dictator after dictator around the world.”
