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Child refugees: Theresa May should be ashamed, says Yvette Cooper Child refugees: Theresa May should be ashamed, says Yvette Cooper
(35 minutes later)
Theresa May should be ashamed of the lack of progress on accepting desperate child refugees into Britain, Yvette Cooper, the chair of Labour’s refugee taskforce, has said.Theresa May should be ashamed of the lack of progress on accepting desperate child refugees into Britain, Yvette Cooper, the chair of Labour’s refugee taskforce, has said.
The former shadow home secretary and Labour leadership candidate said the prime minister had failed to show leadership.The former shadow home secretary and Labour leadership candidate said the prime minister had failed to show leadership.
It is three months since the Dubs amendment in the House of Lords forced the government to say it would accept some child refugees, but it emerged this week that fewer than 20 have arrived so far.It is three months since the Dubs amendment in the House of Lords forced the government to say it would accept some child refugees, but it emerged this week that fewer than 20 have arrived so far.
Responding to the Guardian’s interviews with child refugees in Europe, Cooper said: “Britain should be stepping up and showing leadership in the face of this crisis – yet this report suggests we are set to miss the government’s target of resettling 20,000 Syrian refugees here in Britain by 2020.Responding to the Guardian’s interviews with child refugees in Europe, Cooper said: “Britain should be stepping up and showing leadership in the face of this crisis – yet this report suggests we are set to miss the government’s target of resettling 20,000 Syrian refugees here in Britain by 2020.
“Three months after the Dubs amendment, hardly any children have been helped at all – it is shameful that the British government has done almost nothing to bring desperate child refugees here.“Three months after the Dubs amendment, hardly any children have been helped at all – it is shameful that the British government has done almost nothing to bring desperate child refugees here.
Related: UN members reject concrete refugee resettlement targetRelated: UN members reject concrete refugee resettlement target
“Theresa May has shown no leadership on this issue, dragging her feet at every turn. As prime minister, she now has a duty to ensure the UK fulfils the promises we made.”“Theresa May has shown no leadership on this issue, dragging her feet at every turn. As prime minister, she now has a duty to ensure the UK fulfils the promises we made.”
Alf Dubs, the Labour peer who secured the U-turn in the House of Lords, was also highly critical of the government’s lack of action. He told the BBC’s World at One: “The government said they were prepared to act fully in the letter and spirit of the amendment. But very little has happened.”Alf Dubs, the Labour peer who secured the U-turn in the House of Lords, was also highly critical of the government’s lack of action. He told the BBC’s World at One: “The government said they were prepared to act fully in the letter and spirit of the amendment. But very little has happened.”
He said children were risking their lives trying to travel to the UK on lorries from camps in Calais, and argued it was shocking that UK is “less tolerant” than it was a few months ago. He said children were risking their lives trying to travel to the UK on lorries from camps in Calais, and argued it was shocking that the UK was “less tolerant” than it was a few months ago.
This week, the Guardian interviewed several children, aged nine to 12, all of whom arrived in Europe before 20 March and are therefore potentially eligible to be helped to safety in the UK under the Dubs amendment.This week, the Guardian interviewed several children, aged nine to 12, all of whom arrived in Europe before 20 March and are therefore potentially eligible to be helped to safety in the UK under the Dubs amendment.
Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, wrote to May on Wednesday urging her to confirm she would carry out Cameron’s commitment to taking unaccompanied refugee children from Europe. He also called for a community sponsorship scheme to take advantage of the generosity of British people offering to fund placements of refugees in the UK.
“You will have seen the outpouring of generosity from ordinary British people up and down the country in response to the refugee crisis. We must not ignore this and must harness this enthusiasm for good. I would urge you to introduce a community sponsorship scheme along the lines of the Canadian model that would create new, legal routes for refugees without placing enormous pressure on local authority budgets,” he wrote.
Volunteers helping to look after some of the hundreds of unaccompanied children living in tents and shacks in Calais are not aware of any coordinated attempts by officials for the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), or officials from France or the UK, to seek out the most vulnerable and make arrangements to help them find safe homes either in the UK or France.Volunteers helping to look after some of the hundreds of unaccompanied children living in tents and shacks in Calais are not aware of any coordinated attempts by officials for the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), or officials from France or the UK, to seek out the most vulnerable and make arrangements to help them find safe homes either in the UK or France.
In response, a spokesperson for the UNHCR said it had been asked to support the UK government in implementing the Dubs amendment but indicated that the process would be slow: “UNHCR and NGO partners are actively involved in ongoing discussions with the Home Office to provide support on the operationalisation of the amendment, including in France, Italy and Greece.In response, a spokesperson for the UNHCR said it had been asked to support the UK government in implementing the Dubs amendment but indicated that the process would be slow: “UNHCR and NGO partners are actively involved in ongoing discussions with the Home Office to provide support on the operationalisation of the amendment, including in France, Italy and Greece.
“This is a very complex process as it involves vulnerable children with a particular profile. The final decision as to which unaccompanied child will be transferred to the UK lies squarely with UK and the other concerned European governments.”“This is a very complex process as it involves vulnerable children with a particular profile. The final decision as to which unaccompanied child will be transferred to the UK lies squarely with UK and the other concerned European governments.”
A Home Office spokesperson said the government had made “crystal clear” its commitment to help and was in active discussions with the UNHCR and the Italian, Greek and French governments to speed up mechanisms to identify, assess and transfer children to the UK. The Home Office said the government had made “crystal clear” its commitment to help, and was in active discussions with the UNHCR and the Italian, Greek and French governments to speed up mechanisms to identify, assess and transfer children to the UK.