Syria crisis: Paddy Ashdown 'ashamed' of Britain over Commons vote The motion backing the use of force "if necessary" was rejected by 285 votes to 272, in the first time a British Government has been blocked from executing a military deployment. Lord Ashdown also wrote to his 8,300 followers: "We are a hugely diminished country this am. MPs cheered last night. Assad, Putin this morning. Farage too as we plunge towards isolationism. Lord Ashdown served as High Representative for Bosnia after long advocating military action in the region, He told the BBC: "Maybe I am just an old war horse from the past but I think it has a profound implication for our country. I think it diminishes our country hugely. We now have a bunch of people - the same ones who voted against this last night - who want to get out of Europe and have smashed our relationship with the United States.