SENIOR Labour figures have signalled the party could support airstrikes in Syria despite leader Jeremy Corbyn's opposition to military action.
Shadow justice secretary Lord Falconer and shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn both claimed the party would consider David Cameron's proposals on airstrikes, while reports suggest up to half the shadow cabinet could defy the new leader and vote with the Prime Minister.
The claims came as the government announced plans for Syrian refugees to be brought to Britain more swiftly and as dozens were killed in two boat tragedies off the coasts of Greece and Turkey on Sunday.
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics show, Lord Falconer said he believed the Opposition should back military action if a proper case could be made.
"My view in relation to the attacks on Syria is that if there is a military and legal basis for doing then we should do it," he said.
Mr Benn also told Pienaar's Politics on Radio 5 live that the party would "look at the objectives" of any airstrikes.
He added: "At the moment we don’t know what the proposal is … We will judge that against the objective, the legal base, what is the argument ..."
Meanwhile, it was revealed that the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) will be given extra resources to speed up the resettlement programme.
Britain has agreed to take 20,000 Syrian refugees over five years from camps surrounding the nation that has been riven by civil war under Bashar Assad's brutal regime and the rise of Islamic State.
International Development Secretary Justine Greening said the government will now offer extra support to help speed up a scheme that will identify and prioritise the most vulnerable refugees, including survivors of torture and people in need of medical care.
She said: "Britain has been supporting millions of people caught up in the brutal Syria conflict right from its start four years ago. We've given more than £1 billion in aid - second only to the United States - for food, shelter, education and health services, helping the victims of this terrible tragedy rebuild their lives in host countries.
"And we will use our expertise to help speed up the resettlement of 20,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees from the region. This is not just morally the right thing to do, but it's also the smart thing to do.
"By taking refugees directly from camps in the region we are ensuring that we reach the most vulnerable, while our aid continues to support others to stay in the region rather than make the perilous journey to Europe."
On Sunday, officials in Turkey said 13 refugees had died when their boat collided with a Ferry off the coast, while the Greek coastguard confirmed 27 people were feared dead after going missing when their boat sank off the island of Lesbos.
The incidents follow another sinking near Lesbos on Saturday, in which a five-year-old girl drowned.
Meanwhile, Hungary has reopened its main border crossing with Serbia after sealing it off for five days to prevent refugees from entering its territory.
The crossing was the site of clashes on Wednesday between baton-wielding Hungarian riot police and refugees and the reopening follows negotiations between Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter and his Serbian counterpart Nebojsa Stefanovic.
Mr Pinter said: "We determined how to handle this extraordinary situation together and tried to find a joint solution."
However, reports suggest Hungary has now erected a steel gate and fence posts at a border crossing with Croatia, moving to seal a route used by its southern neighbour to offload thousands of refugees.
Croatia has sent dozens of packed buses through the Baranjsko Petrovo Selo - Beremend crossing since they began streaming over its eastern border with Serbia five days ago, while more still have crossed by train.
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