The Staggers 2 December 2015 MPs vote for air strikes in Syria by 397 to 223 Victory for David Cameron as 66 Labour MPs back military action. Getty Images. NSSign UpGet the New Statesman's Morning Call email. David Cameron has the "clear majority" he wanted. MPs voted for air strikes against Isis in Syria by 397 to 223. Sixty six on the Labour side supported military action (with 152 opposed and 11 abstaining), a higher figure than expected after a remarkable speech in favour by Hilary Benn, which drew unprecedented applause from all sides of the House. But with the support of almost all Conservative MPs (just seven of whom voted against), the DUP and most Liberal Democrats, Cameron's majority was large enough for him not to depend on Labour. Significantly, that means the Commons would have backed intervention even if Jeremy Corbyn had whipped his party against air strikes (as he had originally hoped to do). The Labour leader's team are pointing the fact that a majority of his MPs and a majority of shadow cabinet members (17:11) voted against military action as evidence that he has "demonstrated his leadership and increased his authority". The 11 who supported air strikes were Benn, deputy leader Tom Watson, shadow business secretary and shadow first secretary of state Angela Eagle, shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle, shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander, shadow education secretary Lucy Powell, shadow culture secretary Michael Dugher, shadow Commons leader Chris Bryant, shadow mental health minister Luciana Berger, shadow minister for young people Gloria De Piero and shadow Northern Ireland secretary Vernon Coaker. It is Benn's speech that will likely be remembered as the defining moment of the debate. As MPs gathered round the shadow foreign secretary to get their order papers signed, the Labour leader awkwardly blanked him. Benn, who even frontbench opponents of air strikes say has been hugely "enhanced" by recent events, will more than ever be spoken of as a potential future leader. Though one MP in regular contact with the shadow foreign secretary told me: "I don’t think Hilary’s interested in being the leader - even in the interim." RAF airstrikes in Syria are now expected to begin as early as tomorrow morning. The seven Tory MPs who voted against air strikes John Baron David Davis Gordon Henderson Philip Hollobone Julian Lewis Stephen McPartland Andrew Tyrie The 66 Labour MPs who voted for air strikes Heidi Alexander Ian Austin Adrian Bailey Kevin Barron Margaret Beckett Hilary Benn Luciana Berger Tom Blenkinsop Ben Bradshaw Chris Bryant Alan Campbell Jenny Chapman Vernon Coaker Ann Coffey Yvette Cooper Neil Coyle Mary Creagh Stella Creasy Simon Danczuk Wayne David Gloria De Piero Stephen Doughty Jim Dowd Michael Dugher Angela Eagle Maria Eagle Louise Ellman Frank Field Jim Fitzpatrick Colleen Fletcher Caroline Flint Harriet Harman Margaret Hodge George Howarth Tristram Hunt Dan Jarvis Alan Johnson Graham Jones Helen Jones Kevan Jones Susan Elan Jones Liz Kendall Dr Peter Kyle Chris Leslie Holly Lynch Siobhain McDonagh Pat McFadden Conor McGinn Alison McGovern Bridget Phillipson Lucy Powell Jamie Reed Emma Reynolds Geoffrey Robinson Joan Ryan Ruth Smeeth Angela Smith John Spellar Gisela Stuart Gareth Thomas Anna Turley Chuka Umunna Keith Vaz Tom Watson Phil Wilson John Woodcock › “Everybody’s enjoying the Clapham” The Apprentice 2015 blog: series 11, episode 9 George Eaton is deputy editor of the New Statesman.