The unsung hero of the shadow frontbench is undoubtedly Rosie Winterton, the chief whip. It was clear from the time that Jeremy Corbyn was elected as leader on a platform of policies at odds with many in the parliamentary Labour party that whipping would be a constant tightrope.

As a former chief whip myself, I am very torn on whether there should be a free vote on the issue of military action in Syria. There are very few issues which really fulfil the criteria for a free vote – one where there are genuine issues of conscience often linked to deeply held personal or religious views. Abortion and issues around assisted dying or human reproduction have tended to fall into this category. However, there are very few people whose views on military action are genuinely the result of a deeply held pacifist belief applicable in any circumstances. Interestingly, Jeremy Corbyn may be one of the few. For most people a vote (or not) for military action is a political and policy choice dependent on a range of factors, legal, pragmatic and moral. Furthermore as a fundamental role for government, any party who wishes to govern needs to take a collective view on it and should whip.

Politics is a team sport – the British people largely vote on the basis of a party ticket and expect the programme of that party to be delivered in the way they vote in parliament. The fact that there are internal disagreements is not an argument against whipping – it is the reason for it. There does not need to be an agreed collective line if everyone already agreed with a clear position. As I used to say to those thinking about voting against the whip – ‘it is easy to vote with your party when you agree; the test of collective political will and strength is to hold a line that you do not agree with’

The problem for the leadership of the Labour party however is that this approach depends on the whip reflecting the views of the majority of the parliamentary party. It is not clear that this would be the case if Jeremy Corbyn tried to enforce a whip against any military action despite the development of a wider plan and the endorsement of the UN for the use of ‘all necessary measures’ to defeat Da’esh.

The leadership could presumably live with backbenchers voting against a whipped position on this (after all, that’s what Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell usually did). The problem, however, is that there appear to be many members of the shadow cabinet who would also find it difficult to support a leadership line against intervention. They would have to resign if they voted against the whip. It was hard enough to form the shadow cabinet in the first place – I doubt that Jeremy Corbyn can afford to lose many members of his front bench.

So I suspect that there will eventually be a free vote on military action against Da’esh in Syria. However it is spun though, this will actually be a result of pragmatism and reality rather than principle and conscience.

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Many people have commented on a tweet I made last week about an appearance on Sky News to discuss the Paris attacks. I was invited on as a former home secretary to talk about the experience of dealing with the terror threat and the development of the risk from terrorism. The following day, the Daily Express published a report of the appearance headlined ‘From frumpy to fabulous: Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has a STUNNING new look’

I tweeted the link as it was a good example of something which I have largely become used to over the years – a focus on my appearance as a female politician rather than what I had to say. I have become hardened to this nonsense over the years, but the impact that it has on others is a wake up call to me. I do not want it to be yet another discouragement to women getting involved in public political life. So, for that reason, if you are shocked or irritated by it, why not sign up as a supporter to Labour Women’s Network here and come to our festive drinks on 14 December.

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Jacqui Smith is a former home secretary and former chief whip, she writes the Monday Politics column for Progress, and tweets @Jacqui_Smith1

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Photo: UK Parliament