Labour leader Ed Miliband prevented the "farce" of killing Syrians with bomb attacks designed to end the country's civil war, the leader of Labour's governing body has claimed.

Harriet Yeo, chairman of the National Executive Committee (NEC), also criticised David Cameron as being weak after a Government motion backing the use of force "if necessary" was defeated in the House of Commons last month.

The vote was taken in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack, said to have been carried out by president Bashar Assad's regime.

Ms Yeo said the UK had "changed the global scene" and it was wrong to suggest Mr Miliband was the weak leader.

On the UK's role in preventing bombing raids, she told the Labour Party Conference: "Was this led by our Prime Minister? No. Who did it? Well, it couldn't have been Ed because the media says he's weak and the media are never wrong.

"But I think you need to put that question to people other than the media. Ask the parents of the children who would have been killed in the targeted bombing of Syria, what they would say?

"Ask the children of the parents who would have been killed by the same bombs, what they would say?

"And ask the parents, partners, children and siblings of the British military personnel, what they would say?

"Would they say Ed was weak? No. They would say he is a strong, principled leader.

"Thanks to Ed, we do not have the farce of killing Syrians to stop Syrians killing Syrians. Even the gung-ho US have thought again and now it looks like we will have a negotiated outcome and where was Cameron when all this was going on? Leading Britain? No.

"He was holed away cowering and unable to get the whips back to the UK to vote for their leader.

"Who is the weak leader now British media? Well it's not the person who will be the next prime minister. It's not Ed Miliband, prime minister in waiting. It's David Cameron, Prime Minister preparing to exit.

"If he needs any help moving, I have a telephone number for a removals company come 2015."