Patel doubles estimate for refugees coming in first year to 10,000
PRITI Patel has said the UK could resettle up to 10,000 Afghan refugees within a year.
The Home Secretary said the Government is already “expanding” its new resettlement scheme to help those fleeing the Taliban.
The Government previously said it would take up to 20,000 refugees in total and just 5,000 in the first year.
Now Ms Patel insists the Government is changing tack “quickly” to double their
quota, telling Sky News: “We cannot accommodate 20,000 people all in one go.
“Currently we are bringing back almost 1,000 people a day. This is an enormous effort…
“There could be up to 10,000. We are expanding categories of people.”
She told BBC News: “We could end up bringing many more but first of all we have to have the underpinning and the infrastructure and the support to do that.”
Women, girls and others facing persecution will get priority under the scheme, which will also offer help to those forced to flee their homes and also to religious minorities. They will be given the right to stay in the UK permanently.
A previous scheme for Syrian refugees cost about £8,000 per person – so the new commitments could cost £200million.
A separate programme designed to protect Afghan translators and other workers who were employed by British forces is expected to cover around 10,000, up from the 5,000 previously suggested.
However, senior Conservatives have suggested that the UK should be accepting more than 50,000 refugees.
Former cabinet minister David Davis said the UK should be looking to accept a greater figure than 50,000 due to Britain’s “more direct moral responsibility”.
Meanwhile Labour MPs warned the pace is far too slow, saying those left behind will have to “hang around and wait until they have been executed”.
Labour MP Chris Bryant questioned in the Commons why only a quarter of the 20,000 invited refugees are expected to come to the UK in the first year.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson replied: “The bulk of the effort of this country… should be directed to supporting people in Afghanistan and in the region in order to prevent a worse humanitarian crisis.”