Syria chemical weapons attack
The government’s response following the Syria chemical weapons attack.
The Prime Minister chairs a meeting of donor countries at the G20 summit, calling for humanitarian support for the people of Syria.
Visit the UK and Syria page for the latest updates.
Justine Greening’s response to the humanitarian crisis: 9 September 2013
Leading the response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, International Development Secretary Justine Greening said during a visit to Jordan that the international community must step up its support for refugee children if Syria is to have a peaceful, viable future.
Read more and see how UK aid is helping Syrian refugees in Za’atari, Jordan
G20 Summit - 5 to 6 September
The Prime Minister arrived in Russia on 5 September 2013 for the G20 Summit. As well as promoting G8 priorities, he also chaired a meeting of donor countries in which he called for humanitarian support for the people of Syria. The Prime Minister warned that:
The world risks failing a generation of Syrians if aid agencies don’t get safe access to reach people in desperate need inside the country.
Among those contributing to the discussion were the UN Secretary General, the UN-Arab League Joint Special Representative on Syria, the Prime Minister of Italy, the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Council, the Deputy Prime Minister of Japan, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Italy and Turkey, the Finance Minister of Saudi Arabia and the US Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economic Affairs.
Read the agreed priorities by the leading donors.
Members agreed the importance of a new push for additional international humanitarian funding in the period leading up to the UN General Assembly.
To launch this international effort, the UK announced an additional £52 million, Canada an additional CA$45 million and Italy a further $50 million.
Read PM: World must not fail a generation of Syrians
Read a transcript of the Prime Minister’s speech at the G20 Summit.
View photos of the Prime Minister at the G20 Summit.
On his return from the G20 Summit, the PM gave a statement to Parliament about the actions agreed on Syria.
Syria chemical weapons attack: government response 30 August
The Prime Minister spoke to President Obama to discuss the response to last week’s chemical attack in Syria.
Syria chemical weapons attack: government response 29 August
MPs were recalled to Parliament to debate a motion on the Syria attack.
Earlier, the government laid in the Library of the House information on what it knows about the attack and the government’s position on the legality of any military action in response.
The Cabinet Office published a letter from the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) about reported chemical weapons use in Syria.
Syria chemical weapons attack: government response 28 August
The government announced that the UK will put forward a resolution at a meeting of the 5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in New York.
The National Security Council (NSC) also met to discuss the Syria chemical weapons attack.
Following the NSC meeting, a Number 10 spokesperson said:
The NSC met this afternoon to consider the government’s response to the appalling chemical weapons attack near Damascus last week. The NSC agreed unanimously on a recommendation that the Cabinet will consider tomorrow.
Ministers agreed that the Assad regime was responsible for this attack and that the world shouldn’t stand idly by; and that any response should be legal, proportionate and specifically to protect civilians by deterring further chemical weapons use. There was unanimous backing for the approach we are pursuing at the United Nations and the Chapter VII resolution put forward to fellow P5 members today.
The Foreign Secretary made 2 statements:
- Foreign Secretary discusses motion for Parliamentary debate on Syria
- Foreign Secretary calls for strong international response to chemical attack in Syria
Syria chemical weapons attack: government response 27 August
The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister gave interviews about the Syria chemical weapons attack:
The Prime Minister spoke to President Obama and Prime Minister Rudd.
The Deputy Prime Minister spoke to Vice President Biden.
Syria chemical weapons attack: government response 26 August
The Prime Minister spoke to President Putin.
The Foreign Secretary spoke of the importance of the United Nations team being given access to the site of Wednesday’s chemical attack near Damascus and pledged the UK’s support for an urgent investigation.
Syria chemical weapons attack: government response 25 August
The Prime Minister spoke to President Hollande and Chancellor Merkel about a response from the international community.
Syria chemical weapons attack: government response 24 August
The Prime Minister spoke to President Obama and Prime Minister Harper about the Syria chemical attack of 21 August.
Humanitarian crisis in Syria: updates on UK aid
The UK has committed £348 million to help those affected by conflict in Syria. This is the UK’s largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis.
Read more from DFID: Syria crisis: latest updates on UK aid.
Donate to the DEC Syria Crisis Appeal.
Updates to this page
Published 28 August 2013Last updated 10 September 2013 + show all updates
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Section added about Justine Greening leading the humanitarian response on a visit to Jordan
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We have updated the page with a link to the Prime Minister's update to Parliament on the G20.
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Update on leading donors meeting in margins of G20
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Added information about the PM at G20.
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Updated to include today's developments, including links to a letter from the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee about reported chemical weapons use in Syria and the government’s position on the legality of any military action in response.
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First published.