Failing to take on ISIS in Syria is a sign of weakness, warns Jeremy Hunt

Failing to take on ISIS in Syria will be seen as a sign of 'weakness' by the Islamist fanatics, top Tory Jeremy Hunt has warned.

The Health Secretary said the Government wanted to re-examine the case for a bombing campaign in Syria, following last week's massacre in Tunisia.

It comes after the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon set out the evidence yesterday for extending RAF air strikes from Iraq into Syria – telling MPs that was where ISIS organised and directed its terror operations.

Mr Fallon made clear, however, that the Government would not stage a new vote of MPs unless there was 'some consensus' across the House for widening the existing RAF operations against IS in Iraq.

Speaking on last night's BBC2's Question Time Mr Hunt said: 'The Defence Secretary has said that he thinks we need to relook at the case for bombing in Syria because the situation internationally has changed and Parliament has changed. 

'We have to carry the British people with us on such an important thing.

'In the end, these people thrive on our weakness and the big decision we have to take is: they stand up for what they believe in, are we going to stand up for what we believe in?'

He said a 'robust' response would involve 'taking them on at source, taking them on in their home country, tackling the ideology they espouse, making sure we support the intelligence services'.

'There are things we are doing now and there are more things that we will consider in due course,' he said.