Commons Sense
Last week in the House of Commons we voted on provisions relating to family reunification for unaccompanied child refugees. This is an important issue and one that reflects the morals and values of the society in which we live.
Families belong together. We should be doing everything we can to help reunite those families separated after experiencing the trauma of war, persecution and conflict.
It is about who we want to be as a country.
Clause 37 of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill is therefore a major breach of faith with some of the most vulnerable children in the world. I am dismayed that Boris Johnson and his Tory government has pushed through this measure, despite their promises prior to the election. It removes the existing requirement for the government to negotiate an agreement with the EU after Brexit on the rights of unaccompanied refugee children to be reunited with their families in the UK and Europe. Without a new agreement, the existing provisions for unaccompanied refugee children will cease to exist at the end of this year.
During Parliamentar y proceedings, I voted for another amendment which sought to remove clause 37 from the bill and protect the right for unaccompanied child refugees to be reunited with their families in the UK after Brexit.
Unfortunately, the Tories defeated this amendment by
348 votes to 252.
As the inspirational Lord Dubs, who successfully campaigned for the existing protections for refugee children in 2016, has said, this is a very depressing and disappointing result.
Nevertheless, I hope these protections can be restored as the bill goes through the House of Lords. I can assure all my constituents that I will continue to press the government on this issue at every opportunity, including when the bill returns to the House of Commons.
The position that the Tories have taken on this issue is shocking. If this is an indication of the way they are going to conduct themselves post Brexit, then we all have a real fight on our hands to protect and uphold basic rights.