Martin Docherty-Hughes MP has spoken out about the prime minister’s decision to launch airstrikes in Syria.

The West Dunbartonshire politician is a member of the Commons Defence Select Committee and said it was wrong for Theresa May to commit British forces to an escalation of military action.

Mr Hughes said the leader of the UK government should have gained a mandate from parliament and demonstrated a clear plan for delivering peace in the region.

He also said he had been contacted by constituents concerned about the situation in the Western Asian country.

He said: “The importance of peace and stability in Syria is clear – but we must ask the question of whether dropping more bombs is really the best way to achieve that.

“I’ve been contacted by many constituents from across West Dunbartonshire about the situation in Syria. The vast majority of people I’ve heard from are deeply concerned about escalating tensions and the consequences of the UK rushing to join Donald Trump’s latest military action.

“The Assad regime is guilty of appalling cruelty - but any UK military action in response must be determined by parliament, not by the US President.

“It’s contemptible that Theresa May has joined these US-led airstrikes without first getting a mandate from parliament or demonstrating a clear plan for delivering peace and stability.

“The prime minister must now commit to ensuring that any further escalation in UK military involvement in Syria is subject to proper parliamentary oversight and approval.”

The US, UK and France bombed three government sites in Syria in an early morning operation on chemical weapons facilities at the weekend.

The military action was a response to a suspected chemical attack on the town of Douma last week.

Ms May said the military intervention was justified legally and was in line with that ordered by previous governments.

She also assured careful analysis went into identifying targets where chemical weapons were stockpiled, and where there would be low risk to innocent people.