Sky poll: Almost 50% of Britons back UK military action in Syria

Almost half of Britons would back military intervention to stop the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo - but not if it meant conflict with Russia.

In a Sky Data survey, 46% of British people said they would support British military involvement to end the suffering of residents in the war-ravaged city, while 37% said they would oppose such a move.

And 53% thought Britain had a responsibility to do what it could to protect people in Syria, while 31% said it was not the UK's responsibility to intervene in Syria's affairs where they did not affect British interests. 

However, when asked about a military intervention in Aleppo if it meant conflict with Russia, 51% opposed Britain getting involved, with 31% saying they would support intervening.

No western nation has shown any appetite to risk a military clash with Russia and the British public seem to feel the same way. 

In a recent debate in the House of Commons, few MPs mentioned such action as an option, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson played down the prospects of a no-fly zone.

Last year, Andrew Mitchell MP and the late Jo Cox MP had worked on a plan for civilian safe zones.

Sky Data interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,005 Sky customers via SMS on 11 October 2016. Data is weighted to the profile of the population.

Source: MENA