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Britain's youngest MP has promised to 'never forget' the noise of politicians cheering the bombing of Syria

Charles Clark   

Britain's youngest MP has promised to 'never forget' the noise of politicians cheering the bombing of Syria
Politics3 min read

mhairi black snp scottish mp

REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

21-year-old MP Mhairi Black.

SNP member and Britain's youngest MP Mhairi Black has vowed to "never forget the noise" of the cheering of British politicians as they voted in favour of bombing Syria.

After a debate that lasted over 10 hours, from 11:30 a.m to 10 p.m on Wednesday, MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of David Cameron's plans to extend air strikes targeting ISIS into Syria.

Posting on Twitter, Black said: "Very dark night in parliament. Will never forget the noise of some Labour and Tory cheering together at the idea of bombs falling."

"Cannot believe that the so-called 'opposition' summing up is the same as the Government summing up. Incredible," she also commented.

MPs broke into laughter after the House of Commons Speaker, John Bercow, made a comment unrelated to the conflict. "Order, we come now to the petition," said Bercow, but many viewers thought the minutes following a debate on the bombing of Syria was not the time for lighthearted jokes.

syria airstrikes britain

REUTERS/Darren Staples

British Tornado jets were deployed to Syria just hours after the final vote.

Author Craig Stone tweeted: "Air strikes approved, and the house erupts into laughter. Stay classy, politics."

His tweet has since been retweeted over 2,500 times.

Within hours of the final vote, RAF jets were deployed to Syria, striking six targets in the Omar oil field under ISIS control. Defence secretary Michael Fallon said the first attacks struck "a very real blow at the oil, and the revenue on which the Daesh terrorists depend."

Black, 21, had been a staunch opposition of the government's proposals to carry out airstrikes against ISIS in Syria. In the hours running up to the debate, she had taken part in a "stop the war" rally outside parliament, reassuring hundreds of protestors that there are politicians that stand with them, according to The Huffington Post.

syria airstrikes britain

REUTERS/Darren Staples

A British Tornado taxis on the runway after returning from a mission at RAF Akrotiri, in southern Cyprus December 3, 2015.

The result of the vote was clear, as 397 MP's voted in favour of airstrikes and just 223 voted against, meaning a majority of 174 won. The result came after 10-and-a-half hours of parliamentary debate.

The reaction online to the historical vote has largely been one of dismay.

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