MP slams Tories for veto of child refugee cover in EU bill
THE MP for Rochdale has branded the government “horrendous” for not voting to keep child refugee protections in the Brexit Bill.
Tony Lloyd MP was one of the many Labour MPs who voted to keep the amendment for the protection in the EU withdrawal agreement bill.
The bill would have guaranteed the right of unaccompanied child refugees to be reunited with family members living in the UK after Brexit and now leaves vulnerable children with an uncertain future.
The UK is set to leave the European Union on January 31.
MPs voted 348 to 252 against the amendment, which had been accepted by the previous government that was headed by Theresa May.
The amendment was introduced by Labour peer Alfred Dubs, himself a child refugee who came to Britain.
His campaigning work was inspired by his experience of being welcomed to Britain after fleeing the Nazis on the
Kindertransport.
He has said that he will continue to fight for the rights of refugee children in the House of Lords.
Tony Lloyd MP said: “Alf Dubs, who came to this country as a child refugee, fleeing the Nazis in Europe and now a Labour Lord, introduced this amendment into the original Withdrawal Bill.
“It is horrendous that this Government hasn’t kept it as the Withdrawal Act became law.
“Even the hardest hearted of us wouldn’t want children to suffer.
“Children fleeing horrors all around the world deserve our protection and even now I hope that we can get the Government to change their minds on this vital issue.
“Lord Dubs has rightly argued ‘What could be more humane than asking that unaccompanied child refugees stranded in Europe be able to join relatives in this country?’
“We must retain our proud tradition of providing refuge to some of the world’s most helpless children.”
Heywood and Middleton’s Conservative MP Chris Clarkson, whose constituency includes Norden, Bamford and Castleton, voted against keeping the amendment in the bill.
Chris Clarkson said: “I am aware there is a great deal of misinformation circulating around the Dubs Amendment and the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB).
“I voted for the third reading of the WAB, delivering on what I promised during the election -ensuring we leave the European
Union on the 31st of January. The amendments made by the opposition parties do not belong in the WAB.
“The Government remains fully committed to the principle of family unity and to helping and supporting the most vulnerable children.
“Government policy has not changed on this matter – protecting vulnerable children remains a key priority and we have a proud record of doing so through our asylum system and our resettlement schemes.
“In the last 12 months, the UK granted protection to over 7,500 children, and to 41,000 children since 2010.
“This is more than the vast majority of EU countries have done to help vulnerable children – but ultimately, this has nothing to do with our withdrawal from the EU.
“This issue and the others tabled as amendments to the WAB simply do not belong in a bill about our withdrawal of the EU and the opposition know that these issues will be dealt with elsewhere.
“The amendments are simply a cynical way of trying to create misleading headlines.
“What is true is that, yet again, the Labour party voted to block Brexit.”