Can more be done to find Islamic State murderers?

The PM told security chiefs at Chequers that he wanted to be sure everything possible was being done to track down the killers of Alan Henning. In particular, he will have been wondering if any additional intelligence gathering or satellite surveillance could help.

Whereas the killers of Ken Bigley 10 years ago were never brought to justice, David Cameron will be hoping that the level of scrutiny of the Islamic State-occupied areas might just yield a vital clue.

There has been talk at all three party conferences of how David Cameron will soon come back to Parliament and ask for permission to extend targeting to sites inside Syria. That’s not what it sounds like when you talk to people close to the decision-making process.

David Cameron faces MPs uneasy about moving to targets inside Syria in all three main parties. And as if to underline that point, the Home Office Minister Norman Baker has written to his local paper in Lewes this week explaining that he sort of abstained on the vote authorising attacks on Islamic State sites in Iraq.

He argues that he disagrees with the premise for the attacks and chose to stick with constituency engagements rather than attend the recalled parliament two Fridays ago. Prof Philip Cowley, @philipjcowley, isn’t sure this qualifies  constitutionally as a principled abstention.

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