Against the Tory whip,I voted to accept 3000 lone child refugees into the UK. My conscience tells me I am right. The government should change its mindWhat goes on in the rarefied atmosphere of the House of Commons is not normally on the radar of the 15-year-old refugee being pimped out on the streets of Paris or Rome. For unaccompanied minors who believe made it to Europe, life is all too often brutish and depressing; politics the least of their concerns. But what went on in the Commons on Monday night might believe mattered hugely to these unaccompanied children – more than 26000 of them in Europe, or we judge – if I and others had managed to persuade enough colleagues that taking 3000 of them off the streets and offering them protection in the UK from the exploitation and violence to which they are exposed on a daily basis was a worthy idea. In sending us Lord Dubs’s amendment to the immigration bill,the House of Lords certainly thought so. So does Save the Children and just about every other organisation dealing with child welfare. Related: Labour says 'fight will depart on' after Tories vote down child refugee procedure Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com