Syria debate: who voted what

 RISING Tory star Esther McVey was the only Merseyside MP to vote in support of the Government's motion authorising the possible use of military force against Syria. 

The Liverpool-born Wirral West MP and Minister for Disabled People, who is the county's only sitting Conservative, was one of the 272 ayes who were defeated by just 13 votes (285 nos) in the packed House of Commons last night. 

Her Congleton counterpart, Fiona Bruce, was one of the few Tory MPs to vote against the party line. 

George Howarth, notes of cautionWith the exception of Lib Dem MP for Southport John Pugh, and St Helens Central Labour MP Shaun Woodward, whose names appear on neither the for or against lists, the remaining Merseyside MPs (all Labour) voted against the motion among 224 Labour MPs, 30 Conservatives, nine Liberal Democrats and others. 

They were Joe Benton, Luciana Berger, Angela and Maria Eagle, Louise Ellman, Bill Esterson, Frank Field. George Howarth, Alison McGovern, Steve Rotheram, Stephen Twigg and Dave Watts. 

During the lengthy debate, Knowsley MP Mr Howarth addressed the Commons. He said on balance, he believed forces within the Syrian regime were responsible for this week's shocking gas attacks that prompted the call for action, but sounded several notes of caution. He also questioned the “weight of world opinion”.

“It seems to me that whenever there is a crisis of this kind—I have no qualms about saying this—the United Nations fails to live up to its promise," he said.

"What tends to happen is that the United Nations Security Council will pass resolutions—I think it passed 14 on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction before any action was taken—but in the end, whatever the UN does, it tends to fall on the shoulders of coalitions of the willing to enforce its will."

He added: "I am not condemning the United Nations—it is all we have—but we need to have a better way of doing these things in the future. We need to think very carefully as a country about where we fit into each of the coalitions, particularly the one under discussion.”