A HAMPSHIRE MP has called for Britain to fight alongside Bashar Assad’s brutal Syrian regime to defeat Islamic State (IS) terrorists.

Julian Lewis, the Conservative MP for New Forest East, says the UK and its allies should join forces with the dictator because he was the lesser of two evils.

IS was behind the bombing and shooting terrorist attacks in Paris, which claimed 130 lives.

Mr Lewis, who is chairman of the Defence Select Committee said: “We are reportedly being told to be more like Churchill than Chamberlain.

“Do you recognise that Churchill’s great strength was that he knew when to recognise which is the greater and the lesser of two evils?

“And that’s why he was willing sometimes to fight alongside unsavoury allies against a common deadly enemy.”

It comes as the Prime Minister prepares to set out his case for the UK to join air strikes against the terrorist group, also known as Isis, Isil and Daesh, before an expected Commons vote on military action.

David Cameron is expected to make the case on Thursday and has insisted he will have an exit strategy after Britain finishes bombing IS in Syria that will include long-term reconstruction and stabilisation.

Some Labour MPs signalled they could be willing to support air strikes.

Former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie and shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden were among them but it remains unclear whether Labour MPs will be given a free vote by party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Leslie asked whether the PM would set out a long-term reconstruction and stabilisation plan in his response to the Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday.

The Labour MP said: “Ahead of your statement on Isil in Syria on Thursday, can I urge you to listen carefully to those on this side of the House who have an open mind on this question but who want reassurances on specific things?

“Chiefly, the issue of humanitarian protection and making sure that we prevent further displacement and suffering, but also a specific commitment to long-term reconstruction and stabilisation once conflict has concluded?”

Mr Cameron replied: “I can certainly give you that assurance.

“My aim here is to bring together the biggest possible majority across this House for taking the action that I think is necessary.

“And I’m not saying that we will solve this problem simply by crossing a line from Iraq into Syria.

“We’ll solve this problem if we have a political strategy, a diplomatic strategy, a humanitarian strategy, and Britain is leading the way on that, not least by having this conference next year with Norway and Germany and Kuwait to raise the funds that are necessary to help the Syrian people wherever they are.

“The more of them we can keep in Syria, the better.”

(BLOB) n Fareham MP Suella Fernandes has told the Prime Minister she welcomes his announcement of extra £12 billion investment in the armed forces, following his statement on the Strategic Defence and Security Review in Parliament.

The Prime Minister announced an extra £12billion in funding focused on investments that will help to ensure the UK can respond to diverse threats in an increasingly dangerous and uncertain world.

Questioning the Prime Minister in the House of Commons after the statement, Suella said: “The extra investment will be welcome in Fareham and along the south coast, particularly by firms in my constituency such as Boskalis Westminster Ltd, which is already making preparations for the arrival of the two new aircraft carriers to Portsmouth.”