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Last Updated: Monday 6th March 2017, 10.42 am

A small anti-war demonstration at Westminster passes off peacefully, ahead of today’s crucial war vote.

The police, under the powers given to them by the Home Secretary, had been refusing to allow any form of assembly within the kilometre exclusion zone around Westminster. However, late yesterday, police chiefs relented to the limited extent of authorising the admission, between the hours of nine and ten this morning, of up to 500 protestors, provided that they were first security checked and remained outside the inner ring of the zone.

Protestors started queuing for admission late last night; but being at the front of the queue did not guarantee admission. Police were carefully checking eProfiles and turned many protestors away. Those who were refused admission were told that their Profiles didn’t satisfy admission criteria. However, the police weren’t being drawn on what those criteria were.

Perhaps not surprisingly in the circumstances, this morning’s protest was a relatively subdued one. With MPs not arriving at the House until later, only the police were present to hear the songs and chants of those allowed to assemble; and then, promptly at ten o’clock, the police moved in and ushered the protestors back out of the zone.

There were a number of relatively minor incidents involving the many who weren’t allowed in to protest; but these were quickly dealt by the large police presence. So, no doubt to the relief of the authorities, the protest past off without any serious disturbance.

With this afternoon’s crucial debate due to start in a few hours, the immediate area around Westminster is now deserted. The atmosphere is sombre, even eerie, as the Country awaits the outcome of the Commons vote to determine whether Britain again goes to war in the Middle East.

It’s “make your mind up” time for MPs, as whips rally support for war.

In the last 48 hours, the new United States President, Al Carrington, has given Iran a 72 hour ultimatum to surrender its nuclear arsenal and weapons making facilities; Russia’s leadership have reiterated their total opposition to what its Foreign Minister, Boris Gorchakov, has described as America’s “latest illegal step in its campaign for global hegemony”; and, consequently, any remaining hope there was for a resolution of the crisis through The United Nations Security Council has vanished. So for MPs there’s the very sobering realisation that today they must make what will almost certainly be the most important decision of their parliamentary careers.

Government whips are having to work overtime to secure the necessary level of support for the proposed military action against Iran. In recent days, the Government has been rocked by senior resignations and there is talk in the tearooms and corridors of Westminster of a backbench rebellion. One whip spoke candidly about the tactics he uses: “every individual has a driver: usually it‘s either ambition, fear or loyalty. You have to play to that.” The Prime Minister knows that the rebellion has to be kept to less than 50% of backbenchers, having himself admitted that, without the support of at least half of the parliamentary party who aren’t on the payroll, his position would be untenable and he would have to resign.

Many parallels are being drawn with the Labour Government’s decision fourteen years ago this month, to send British troops to war with Iran’s neighbour and adversary, Iraq, despite the opposition of 139 of its own MPs. That war, in the opinion of many more Members of the House, proved to be not only tragically fatal for thousands of Coalition troops, but also largely futile. There were no weapons of mass destruction; and the vacuum left by Saddam Hussein has been filled by a Shia-led regime, which has brought Iraq closer to Tehran and created the, so called, "Super Iran" that now threatens the West.

MPs are also acutely aware that the stakes this time are considerably higher. Intelligence reports indicate that, despite persistent and prolonged diplomatic efforts to divert its leaders from their nuclear course, Iran has produced nuclear weapons in breach of its international obligations, including UN Security Council Resolution twenty-one seventy. According to President Carrington, "the shadow of a nuclear holocaust is hanging over the Middle East”. In addition, the Government’s motion before the House of Commons this afternoon seeks authority to use: “all means necessary to ensure the nuclear disarmament of Iran”. The Prime Minister, Ed Hall, has indicated, on more than one occasion, that Britain’s Trident based nuclear weapons capability might be used in a first strike capacity in the what President Carrington has called operation “Defence of Freedom”. So, it’s clear that “all means” includes the use of nuclear weapons. This, in particular, has prompted a great deal of soul searching by MPs.”