Live Blog: War against Islamic State

The debate has begun in the UK House of Commons over military action in Iraq and the Prime Minister David Cameron is delivering his opening speech.

He warned that the UK "could face a a terrorist caliphate on the shores of the Mediterranean."

He stressed the need to fight the "poisonous narrative of Islamist extremism" abroad and at home and proposed furhter crackdowns on "non-violent" Islamic hate preachers in the UK.

In response to criticism that he was too focused on military action he agreed that "a comprehensive strategy including a well-formed Iraqi government" was required and also pointed out that in Syria "Assad has been butchering his own people and acting as a recuriting sergeant to the exteremists" and emphasised that the former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri el-Maliki "had a government that did not represent the people of Iraq."

He also stated that "ISIL needs to be destroyed in Syria as well as Iraq" but emphasised that he did not want to bring a motion to the house "that there was not a consensus for."

"The Syrian situation is more complicated."

He also stated that Iran had "a role to play."

Among others, the first intervention was from left-wing Labour MP Dennis Skinner who asked "How long will this war last and when will mission creep start?"

The UK parliament is to debate today whether or not to join military action in Iraq.

The vote in the House of Commons, the debate on which begins at 9:30am GMT and the vote due at 4:00pm, is expected to pass fairly smoothly and will confirm a decision agreed on unanimously in the UK cabinet to join the US and several Arab nations in carrying out airstrikes on IS militants.