MPs set to vote on whether UK troops should be sent to Ukraine on peacekeeping duties

dailyrecord.co.uk:

MPs are likely to get a vote before any British troops are sent to Ukraine, a Labour Cabinet minister has said.UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said it would be “normal, if circumstances allow, for Parliament to be consulted” on military action.

But she added: “I do think we are some way away from this at the moment.”She also urged Donald Trump to learn lessons from the withdrawal from Afghanistan and not leave Ukraine out from peace talks.

It comes as talks between the US and Russia begin in Riyadh.Alexander told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “It is vital that we don’t make the same mistakes as we did in Afghanistan, where the US spoke directly to the Taliban, not involving the Afghan government.“I’m sure President Trump wouldn’t want to repeat those mistakes again.”Her comments come a day after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would be willing to commit UK troops to a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.

He was speaking as European leaders gathered for an emergency summit on the future security of the continent.But others at the meeting resisted discussion of using a European force to monitor any ceasefire.Starmer's suggestion prompted calls from the Liberal Democrats for a vote in the Commons, although party leader Ed Davey indicated he would support such a deployment.There is no legal requirement for a vote on military action, which is formally a royal prerogative, but since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 MPs have usually been given a say on significant deployments.Alexander was earlier asked if the armed forces would be deployed for peace-keeping in Ukraine without the backing of other European countries.After insisting such talks were in the very early stages, she said: “The Prime Minister has been clear