Labour 'open' to RAF air strikes on Islamic State in Syria after Tunisia beach attack

Labour could back military intervention in Syria despite the party voting against David Cameron's plan of launching air strikes against the Middle East nation.

The reds have reportedly "left the door open" to a bombing campaign against Islamic State (Isis) targets in Syria after 25 British citizens were confirmed dead following the terrorist beach attack in Sousse, Tunisia on 26 June.

Gunman Seifeddine Rezgui was apparently inspired by Isis and was mainly radicalised over the internet, according to the Tunisian prime minister. "I think he was mainly radicalised online," Habib Essid told CNN.

Senior Labour sources told The Times that the party's MPs could back an intervention plan from the government in a bid to damage the Salafi jihadi group, which is headquartered in Raqqa.

But a Labour spokesperson told IBTimes UK that the report was "speculation" and the party's position "has not changed" since it voted against Cameron's proposal to launch RAF strikes against Bashar al-Assad's government in the wake of chemical weapons allegations in 2013.

The prime minister, who now holds a majority in the House of Commons, told MPs that the West and its allies need to "crush" IS in Iraq and Syria after the Tunisia attack.

The Tory leader said: "We must confront this evil with everything we have. We must be stronger at standing up for our values and we must be more intolerant of intolerance, taking on anyone whose views condone the extremist narrative or create the conditions for it to flourish."

The remarks came ahead of a national minute's silence to remember the Tunisian attack victims on Friday 3 July at 12 noon.