Tom Tugendhat Blames "Useful Idiot" And Propaganda For Drop In Support For Airstrikes

14 April 2018, 12:02

The Chair of the Foreign Affairs select committee blamed the UK's "useful idiot" and Russian propaganda for a drop in public support for airstrikes in Syria.

A recent opinion poll finds only 22% of the public back airstrikes in Syria, but a Conservative MP blames the low figure on Russian propaganda and "the UK's useful idiot."

Tom Tugendhat thinks Theresa May "did the right thing" by authorising the airstrikes in coalition with France and the United States.

The Conservative MP told Matt Frei: "There's been a huge amount of propaganda, a huge amount of misinformation, and one lying by governments like Russia and indeed by their useful idiots in the United Kingdom.

"We're seeing useful idiots, we're seeing Russian propaganda, and Syrian propaganda.

"Sadly in universities, sadly in parliament, sadly in many other walks of life repeating lies in order to try and get support for what is frankly, and here I'm going to quote Jeremy Corbyn: 'If you're not on the side of the oppressed, you're on the side of the oppressor'.

"And that's exactly what these people are doing."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had criticised Theresa May's decision to join forces with France and the United States by questioning the decision's legality.

He said: "Bombs won’t save lives or bring about peace.

"This legally questionable action risks escalating further, as US defence secretary James Mattis has admitted, an already devastating conflict and therefore makes real accountability for war crimes and use of chemical weapons less, not more likely."