Syrian president Bashar Assad has been likened by Boris Johnson to a "monster" which needs "decapitating".
The Foreign Secretary was encouraged on Tuesday to explain how Assad could be punished for using chemical weapons without allowing a "virulent Islamist regime" to replace him.
Johnson said efforts to secure peace in Syria must preserve the state's institutions while "decapitating the monster".
Julian Lewis, Conservative chairman of the Defence Select Committee, asked Johnson in the Commons: "Can you tell us what the outcome of this proper political process would be given that even commentators who absurdly used to claim that there were 70,000 moderate fighters against Assad in Syria now accept that the overwhelming majority of the armed opposition are run by Islamists?
"So while accepting Assad is a monster in the tradition of Gaddafi and in the tradition of Saddam Hussein, do you accept there's a distinction between punishing him for using chemical weapons and removing him to replace him with a virulent Islamist regime?"
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Johnson replied: "I must say that I strongly agree with the wisdom of that remark.
"The essential thing will be to have a political process that preserves the institutions of the Syrian state while decapitating the monster."
Tory MP David Rutley said he asked the Russian ambassador to ensure his government found a new home for Assad outside of Syria to enable the political process to move forward.
Rutley added to Johnson: "He declined. Do you agree it's time for Russia to change its mind on that matter."
Johnson replied: "To the best of my knowledge the Russian president actually suggested that Bashar Assad should find refuge in some Gulf country, which I will not upset by naming."
