麻豆约拍

Former chief of the defence staff Lord Richards says involvement of the RAF in Syria "would make a difference" in the battle against Islamic State.

Speaking on the Today programme, he said there was already a strategy to take on IS - also known as Isis, Isil or Daesh- but it was "too slow and ponderous" and UK involvement could help give it "oomph".

He told John Humphrys that the most plausable strategy was to first get all regional forces working together to fight IS and then work out the risidual political situation afterwards.

"You need to have unity of purpose and clear aims in a war," he said.