British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, forecast an upsurge in violence in Iraq ahead of planned January elections but said today he had not yet decided on a US request for back-up from British troops.
Many British politicians are aghast at the prospect of British soldiers serving in more dangerous parts of Iraq and are demanding a vote, something ministers have ruled out.
Some accuse Mr Blair of having already agreed to the request to help President George W. Bush ahead of US elections in less than two weeks, in which Iraq has proved a pivotal factor.
But Mr Blair told parliament today: "a decision has not been taken." He added: "We are about to enter a period of increased activity in Iraq. This has nothing to do with American elections, it has everything however to do with the Iraqi elections in January."
The United States has asked British troops to patrol volatile areas near Baghdad in order to free up American forces to tackle insurgents in hotspots like Falluja.
At least six people - a couple and their children - were killed in overnight US air strikes in the rebel-held town.
Mr Blair confirmed that if the deployment took place, it would involve the army's Black Watch regiment. "If we do it, Black Watch will still be back home by Christmas," he said. "There are some 650 troops involved."
Mr Blair faces real disquiet within the Labour party, not just from those who did not support war in the first place, but from many who now regret their decision to vote for it.
A group of 45 Labour parliamentarians has signed a motion demanding a vote on the US request.
General John McColl, the top British officer in Iraq, has said no decision to deploy the troops had yet been taken. A British reconnaissance team was on the ground this week studying the prospects for UK troops moving north from their relatively calm southern Basra base.
"We have had an initial report but we are awaiting a full report. There would be no question of a decision being taken in advance of that recce (reconnaissance) being done," Gen McColl told BBC Radio.