“This is the hardest test, but the aim is clear” – Watch Ed Miliband’s Iraq statement

Ed Miliband this morning spoke in favour of UK involvement in airstrikes on ISIL in Iraq. He said:

“ISIL’s ideology has nothing to do with the peaceful religion practised by people across the world and by millions of our fellow citizens, who are appalled by what we see. And it is not simply that ISIL is a murderous organisation, it has ambitions for a state of its own – a Caliphate across the Middle East, run according to their horrific norms and values.

So we cannot stand by against the threat of ISIL. But in acting against them we need to learn the lessons from the past. That means a comprehensive strategy, humanitarian and political as well as military, rooted in the region.”

You can read the full text of the statement here, or watch his speech below: