#London: #UK PM Mr #DavidCameron has been branded “heartless and foolish” for “turning his back” on 3,000 orphaned Syrian children in European camps.His refusal to acquiesce to pressure from charities to help the 3,000 has led to criticism from the Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron who accused Mr Cameron of ignoring the migrant crisis.
“It is an absolute calamity on our doorstep and it is not going to go away by David Cameron pretending it’s not there.
“I think he is both heartless and foolish because … he is wrong to turn his back on orphan children fleeing conflict.”
He added that the Prime Minister’s reaction to the refugee crisis was “about media management” and not about “meeting the human needs”.
But Mr Cameron denied ignoring the unaccompanied child refugees saying Britain did more to help Syrian orphans than any other European country.
PM ‘Turning Back’ On Orphans
He said: “I think it is right our approach to take refugees from the region, not encouraging them to make the difficult, potentially lethal, journey to Europe.
“Our approach is compassionate, it is generous and I think it is right.”
The Government has announced it will work with the UN to take orphaned children from the camps in the Syrian region, rather than the camps in Europe.
The criticism comes after Mr Cameron was lambasted for referring to the refugees in the Calais camps as “a bunch of migrants” during Prime Minister’s Questions.
UK PM #DevidCameron says ‘Bunch Of Migrants’
Britain has already agreed to take 20,000 vulnerable refugees from the camps in the region but the Immigration Minister James Brokenshire told Sky News the orphans would be in addition to that figure, however, he would not put a figure on it.
When pushed he said the Government would work with the UNHCR but indicated it would not be a high figure.
Separately, the Department for International Development (DFID) is to establish a new fund of up to £10m to support vulnerable migrant children in Europe.
This could include resettling some from countries such as Greece and Italy in to the UK if they have family here but will not be used to help children in the Dunkirk or Calais camps.
Save the Children for Britain wants the UK to admit at least 3,000 young people who have reached Europe from countries such as Syria and Afghanistan.
The reason the charity is keen for children to be taken from Europe is because a third of the refugee children coming to the continent go missing – most having been captured by child traffickers.
Mr Brokenshire said: “The vast majority are better off staying in the region so they can be reunited with surviving family members.”
Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham told Sky News it was a “welcome step forward” but said the Government should not distinguish between orphans in camps in the region and those in the rest of Europe. By Agencies.
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