cameron is the best statesman according to poll of attitudes towards British politicians' responses to the Syria crisis

• The PM is applauded for giving MPs the chance to vote on the issue
• But his standing as a world leader has been badly hit by the loss
• However voters still judge him a better statesman than Miliband

David Cameron’s standing as a world leader and Britain’s much vaunted ‘special relationship’ with America have both been badly hit by his Commons defeat over military strikes against Syria.
And Ed Miliband has won approval for opposing the action.
But the Prime Minister is applauded for giving MPs the chance to vote on the issue – and is still seen as much better at dealing with international crises than the Opposition leader, including by many Labour voters.

Political capital: Prime Minister David Cameron, left, is still seen as more of a statesman that Labour leader Ed Miliband, right, despite his humiliating defeat in the Commons after urging MPs to back an attack on Syria

That is the verdict of a Mail on Sunday poll on the row over whether the UK should support air strikes against the Syrian regime of President Assad by the US.
Despite the bitter Commons clashes over Syria between Cameron and Miliband, there is no change in the party ratings, with Labour, on 37 per cent, maintaining an eight point lead over the Conservatives and the Lib Dems trailing UKIP.

 

An overwhelming 65 per cent are opposed to UK raids on Syria, with only 19 per cent in favour, according to the Survation poll.
However, that could change dramatically if Assad does not back down. 
Nearly one in two say they would support military action if Assad orders more mass chemical weapons attacks, with three in ten against.
Barely one in five say the Prime Minister is in touch with public opinion over Syria, compared to nearly two in five who say Mr Miliband has judged the public mood correctly.
But despite the doubts, four out of ten say they trust Mr Cameron in an international crisis, against just over two in ten who back  Mr Miliband.
Worryingly for the Opposition leader, nearly one in six Labour supporters prefers Mr Cameron.
A majority of 41 per cent say the Syria affair has damaged David Cameron’s global standing, compared to 38 per cent who say it has made no difference and seven per cent who say it has enhanced it.
One in three also say it has damaged Britain’s so called ‘special relationship’ with the US, though nearly half believe it has made no difference.

A clear majority say the Prime Minister spends too much time strutting the world stage, instead of fixing Britain’s problems.
But more than half say Mr Cameron showed strength, not weakness, by letting MPs vote on the issue.
And 43 per cent say the vote enhanced the reputation of Parliament, left in tatters by the expenses scandal, compared to 23 per cent who say the anti-war vote was bad for the reputation of the Commons.
A total of 1,002 people took part in the Survation online poll, conducted on Friday.