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| Child refugees: Theresa May should be ashamed, says Yvette Cooper | Child refugees: Theresa May should be ashamed, says Yvette Cooper |
| (about 17 hours 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 target | Related: 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.” |
| 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. |
| Stephen Cowan, Labour leader of Hammersmith and Fulham council, said the council had met in late July with its children’s services team to assess how many children they could accommodate from Calais urgently. | Stephen Cowan, Labour leader of Hammersmith and Fulham council, said the council had met in late July with its children’s services team to assess how many children they could accommodate from Calais urgently. |
| He said the council was prepared to take at least 10 unaccompanied children from the camp, as soon as the Home Office gave permission for them to travel, and that foster homes were being lined up. The campaign group Citizens UK is trying to rally other councils to speed up their search for suitable homes for the Dubs children. | He said the council was prepared to take at least 10 unaccompanied children from the camp, as soon as the Home Office gave permission for them to travel, and that foster homes were being lined up. The campaign group Citizens UK is trying to rally other councils to speed up their search for suitable homes for the Dubs children. |
| “This is a crisis. I don’t think we can walk by on the other side of the street. There a moral imperative that we act. We want to do more than our bit. We can’t look the other way,” Cowan said. He is planning to visit the camp next week to step up attempts to find homes for some of the most vulnerable children. | “This is a crisis. I don’t think we can walk by on the other side of the street. There a moral imperative that we act. We want to do more than our bit. We can’t look the other way,” Cowan said. He is planning to visit the camp next week to step up attempts to find homes for some of the most vulnerable children. |
| “I haven’t been there yet, but I understand from people who have that it is the worst type of hell. As a child you always have faith that adults will act in your best interest, but that’s not happening here. We need to create a sense of national outrage.” | “I haven’t been there yet, but I understand from people who have that it is the worst type of hell. As a child you always have faith that adults will act in your best interest, but that’s not happening here. We need to create a sense of national outrage.” |
| He acknowledged that it would be expensive, and put further pressure on the local authority’s stretched budgets. “It is expensive. These are very traumatised children who have travelled from a war zone,” he said. | He acknowledged that it would be expensive, and put further pressure on the local authority’s stretched budgets. “It is expensive. These are very traumatised children who have travelled from a war zone,” he said. |
| Alf Dubs, the Labour peer who secured the U-turn in the House of Lords, said he believed public opinion is still very much in favour of the UK taking a reasonable number of unaccompanied child refugees. | Alf Dubs, the Labour peer who secured the U-turn in the House of Lords, said he believed public opinion is still very much in favour of the UK taking a reasonable number of unaccompanied child refugees. |
| “The response from local authorities has been mixed but I have been heartened that quite a number are now moving to accept refugee families and are also seeking to identify suitable foster parents. | “The response from local authorities has been mixed but I have been heartened that quite a number are now moving to accept refugee families and are also seeking to identify suitable foster parents. |
| “I have been told that the process to assess potential foster parents can take six months so it is crucial that local authorities start publicising the need for foster parents to come forward as soon as possible.” | “I have been told that the process to assess potential foster parents can take six months so it is crucial that local authorities start publicising the need for foster parents to come forward as soon as possible.” |
| He added that he had asked for a meeting with the new immigration minister to ask what is causing the delay. | He added that he had asked for a meeting with the new immigration minister to ask what is causing the delay. |
| “People should ask their MP to press the government for a speedier response. Local groups are in a good position to approach councillors and get the council to agree to take refugees,” he said. | “People should ask their MP to press the government for a speedier response. Local groups are in a good position to approach councillors and get the council to agree to take refugees,” he said. |
| 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. | 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. | “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. |
| Related: Britain is still failing child refugees in Europe. We must help them – and fast | Alf Dubs | |
| 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.” |
| Further evidence of the inappropriate conditions in Calais was published this week by the bar human rights committee (BHRC) of England and Wales, which highlighted allegations of police violence, police failure to protect residents within the camp and a lack of access to justice. The report focused on allegations of excessive use of force and teargas against camp residents. | Further evidence of the inappropriate conditions in Calais was published this week by the bar human rights committee (BHRC) of England and Wales, which highlighted allegations of police violence, police failure to protect residents within the camp and a lack of access to justice. The report focused on allegations of excessive use of force and teargas against camp residents. |
| BHRC chairwoman Kirsty Brimelow QC said the lack of effective legal protections for vulnerable refugees, including women and children, in northern France “should be of huge concern”. | BHRC chairwoman Kirsty Brimelow QC said the lack of effective legal protections for vulnerable refugees, including women and children, in northern France “should be of huge concern”. |
| 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. | 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. |