British PM Theresa May faces backlash at home over Syria missile strike

British PM Theresa May faces backlash at home over Syria missile strike

LONDON - British Prime Minister Theresa May faced a backlash from the domestic opposition after military strike <link>Saturday on Syria without consulting parliament.

As the Conservative leader explained her rationale for the airstrikes, opposition parties claimed the attacks were legally dubious, risked escalating conflict and should have been approved by lawmakers.

The shadow of the 2003 invasion of Iraq still lingers in the corridors of Britain’s parliament, when MPs backed then-prime minister Tony Blair in joining US military action.

“Bombs won’t save lives or bring about peace,” said Jeremy Corbyn, the veteran leftist leader of the main opposition Labour Party.

“This legally questionable action risks escalating further... an already devastating conflict.

“Theresa May should have sought parliamentary approval, not trailed after Donald Trump.”

Stop the War, a pacifist coalition once chaired by Corbyn, has called a demonstration outside the British parliament on Monday to protest the strikes. - APP/AFP