Black Country MP: We must help lone child refugees from camps in France
A Black Country MP is urging the Government to rethink plans to scrap a scheme admitting lone child refugees into Britain.
Ministers announced earlier this month that the Dubs amendment scheme would be axed after bringing in only 350 unaccompanied child refugees.
But Wolverhampton North East MP Emma Reynolds said the ministers should listen to calls from the UK's children's commissioners, who have warned the move would leave children open to the risk of exploitation and trafficking.
Today the Home Office said some claims for asylum in the UK from child refugees in France could be reviewed as ministers came under pressure to take more in.
Ms Reynolds said: "It is morally wrong that these children should be sent back to camps after they have already made the journey across Europe.
"It is important to stress that they are unaccompanied and clearly need help. I understand the Government is giving a lot of money to help the most vulnerable refugees who are already here.
"While I welcome that, we also have a moral duty to support these children."
Children's commissioners Anne Longfield, Tam Baillie, Sally Holland and Koulla Yiasouma – who work in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively, have urged the Government to 'act responsibly' and recommit to the Dubs scheme.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said last week that local councils said they only had sufficient resources to take 450 lone child refugees under the Dubs amendment, proposed by former Kindertransport refugee Lord Alf Dubs.
Though the amendment made no mention of specific numbers, campaigners said they had expected the UK to take around 3,000 children.
