Video: Syria crisis: 'Britain shouldn't turn its back on world', says Osborne The Chancellor George Osborne spoke following the vote in Parliament, in which the Commons ruled out military intervention in Syria. I hope that Britain remains a country that cares about the world and doesn't turn it's back on the world's problems and of course, does that in a way that is proportionate and respects the views of the British public. "In the end you have to respect those views, Britain is not going to be involved in any military action that takes place in Syria," Mr Osborne said. US President Barack Obama now faces the prospect of acting alone in Syria. An international outcry was sparked after shocking footage showed hundreds of people who had been killed in a chemical weapons attack in a suburb of Damascus.