William Hague urges Theresa May to take “more extensive” military action in Syria

Former Foreign Secretary William Hague has piled pressure on Theresa May to take military action against the Assad regime in Syria or risk legitimising chemical weapons.

The Tory ex-leader urged Britain and France to join the US in taking “more extensive” military action than the air-strikes launched by Donald Trump on a Syrian air base last year.

It comes after an alleged gas attack in Douma, in the Syrian region of Ghouta, left dozens dead - including children - and many injured, according to evidence from medical groups.

Russia - which is backing the Syrian government in its ongoing civil war - has denied an attack took place, branding the claims “fake news”.

Lord Hague - who served in the Foreign Office when the Commons blocked action against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in 2013 - hailed the fact that the world had prevented the use of chemical weapons on the battlefield for nearly a century.

But in an article for the Daily Telegraph, he warned: “Once we accept that it is just another aspect of war, that is what it will become in the conflicts of coming decades with an arms race in chemical agents steadily expanded and legitimised.”

He rejected the assertion - pushed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn - that any military action needs the backing of the UN, arguing that Russia would simply “obstruct, deny and prevaricate”.

Lord Hague argued: “If Trump launches serious retaliation he will be fully justified, and we should back him any way we can....

“We should have learnt from the fiasco of 2013 that abdication of the responsibility and right to act doesn’t make war go away.”

The pressure is also on May as President Macron of France has been urging Trump to take swift military action, according to the Times.

The paper adds that Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is among ministers who would back taking part in US-led strikes.

The Prime Minister yesterday vowed that Assad and Russia would be “held to account… if they are found responsible” for the “barbaric” attack.