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The action "to prevent mass atrocities" in Syria’s Idlib is an urgent matter as the situation is "reaching crisis point", British parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Tom Tugendhat said Monday.
Tugendhat said the U.K. government must do more to "protect civilians as part of its responsibility to protect".
Tugendhat’s comments came with the release of the committee’s report "Global Britain: The Responsibility to Protect and Humanitarian Intervention", which was published on Monday following its inquiry into the legal basis for military interventions under these concepts and their effectiveness in protecting civilians, with a focus on Syria.
"The consequences of inaction can be devastating. The people of Syria show clearly that choosing not to act, standing aside, can have consequences every bit as real and horrific as the decision to act," he said.
The British government has refused to confirm whether it has taken legal advice on holding a second referendum on the final Brexit deal, saying revealing such information would harm its negotiating position in talks with Brussels.The Brexit department, which oversees the negotiations on Britain's departure from the European Union next year, made the comment in response to a Reuters query submitted under the Freedom of Information law.With less than seven months until Brexit day and Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans under fire, some lawmakers and business leaders are increasingly arguing for people to have a final say on any deal with Brussels.British PM May hopes parliament will support her Brexit planMay has repeatedly ruled out holding a second referendum following the vote two years ago to leave the EU. However, several lawmakers in her Conservative Party back the idea of what is known as a "people's vote", and opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is under pressure to voice his support.Britain's Trades Union Congress, a group of 48 labour unions, added to the pressure on Sunday, with General Secretary Frances O'Grady saying it would back a referendum if May fails to get a deal that will support workers.Asked by Reuters what legal advice it had received this year on holding a second referendum, the Brexit department said there was a public interest in refusing to confirm or deny whether it had such information.Sterling edges up after biggest weekly drop in a month"There is a very strong public interest in the most effective pursuance of the UK’s national interests abroad," the department said in a letter."It is necessary to consider whether the act of confirming or denying whether we hold information ... would be likely to prejudice the government's negotiating position, which would be detrimental to the UK’s relationships with other states, and with European institutions, and would prejudice the promotion and protection of the UK’s interests abroad."The department said it had concluded "the public interest favours maintaining the exclusion" of its duty to reveal whether or not it holds such information.'UK PM May's Brexit plans opposed by 80 rebels in her party'It gave the same answer to a request for information on whether it had taken legal advice on the reversibility of Article 50, the notice of the intention to leave the EU.Brexit minister Dominic Raab said last week that the prospect of a second referendum would invite Brussels to offer Britain the "very worst terms" in any Brexit deal.Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29 but has yet to reach a deal with Brussels on the terms of its departure. May has said members of parliament will get to vote on whether to accept any final deal.In the June 2016 referendum 51.9 percent backed leaving the EU, while 48.1 percent favoured staying. Opinion polls show Britons remain divided over Brexit, though some recent surveys have shown a swing towards support for staying in the EU.A YouGov poll, conducted July 31-Aug. 7 and commissioned by the pro-referendum "People's Vote" campaign, found 45 percent of voters supported holding a new referendum whatever the outcome of talks with the EU, while 34 percent opposed it. 
UK govt refuses to say if it has taken legal advice on second Brexit referendum
The report by the cross-party committee said a "proportionate and necessary force" should be used "to alleviate extreme human distress", in conflicts where there is human suffering.
The report said, "the absence of humanitarian intervention as a final recourse can result in grave consequences for civilian populations."
"During this inquiry, we heard from those who have the first-hand experience of what life is like in Syria right now and the impact the conflict there has had on people," Tugendhat said.
"The Government must do more to protect civilians as part of its responsibility to protect.
Prime Minister Theresa May hopes parliament will support her plan for Brexit, her spokesman said on Monday, adding it was the only one on the table which delivered on the will of the British people while avoiding a hard border in Northern Ireland.Earlier on Monday a former junior minister warned May's Conservative Party faces a "catastrophic split" if she persists with her so-called Chequers plan, which he said 80 or more of her lawmakers are prepared to vote against."Chequers is the only plan on the table which will deliver on the will of the British people while avoiding a hard border in Northern Ireland. The prime minister is working hard to secure a deal and hopes all MPs (members of parliament) will be able to support it," the spokesman said.He said her cabinet top team of ministers would meet on Thursday to discuss preparations for a possible 'no deal' Brexit. Sterling edges up after biggest weekly drop in a month'UK PM May's Brexit plans opposed by 80 rebels in her party'
British PM May hopes parliament will support her Brexit plan
"With the situation in Idlib reaching crisis point, action to prevent mass atrocities is ever more urgent."
The committee chairman said prevention is always better than a later response. "As the situation in Syria has shown us, waiting to respond can have devastating consequences," he said.
Tugendhat said the atrocity prevention must be prioritized in political and diplomatic conversations.
"Now, more than ever, the Government needs to produce a comprehensive atrocity prevention strategy and implementation plan," he urged.
"The cost of inaction has been unacceptably high," he added.
The committee’s report said the U.K. "must bear its share of the responsibility" for the atrocity crimes committed in Syria and "examine the repercussions of its decisions not to do more on its own or collectively".
It also urged for an "independent inquiry" into the decision-making processes so lessons should be learned "to prevent similar humanitarian crises happening in the future and offer a more effective response".