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| Refugee petition races above 100,000 threshold | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| A petition calling on the UK to accept more asylum seekers and refugees could be debated by Parliament after securing more than 100,000 signatures. | A petition calling on the UK to accept more asylum seekers and refugees could be debated by Parliament after securing more than 100,000 signatures. |
| It says the UK "is not offering proportional asylum" in comparison with its EU counterparts, amid a surge in migrants trying to reach the continent. | It says the UK "is not offering proportional asylum" in comparison with its EU counterparts, amid a surge in migrants trying to reach the continent. |
| Petitions on Parliament's website that exceed the 100,000 threshold are eligible to be considered by MPs. | Petitions on Parliament's website that exceed the 100,000 threshold are eligible to be considered by MPs. |
| A cross-party group of MPs will decide whether to allow time for a debate. | A cross-party group of MPs will decide whether to allow time for a debate. |
| The petition, which attracted 213,000 signatures by 17:00 BST on Thursday, states: "There is a global refugee crisis. The UK is not offering proportional asylum in comparison with European counterparts. | |
| "We can't allow refugees who have risked their lives to escape horrendous conflict and violence to be left living in dire, unsafe and inhumane conditions in Europe. We must help." | "We can't allow refugees who have risked their lives to escape horrendous conflict and violence to be left living in dire, unsafe and inhumane conditions in Europe. We must help." |
| It comes as David Cameron faces pressure at home and from abroad for the UK to do more to help refugees fleeing to Europe from war-torn countries in the Middle East and Africa. | It comes as David Cameron faces pressure at home and from abroad for the UK to do more to help refugees fleeing to Europe from war-torn countries in the Middle East and Africa. |
| Calls intensified after publication of a picture of a drowned three-year-old boy lying on a Turkish beach. | Calls intensified after publication of a picture of a drowned three-year-old boy lying on a Turkish beach. |
| The prime minister has argued that more needs to be done to tackle the problem by bringing peace and stability to the parts of the world migrants are travelling from - adding that just taking more and more people was not the answer. | The prime minister has argued that more needs to be done to tackle the problem by bringing peace and stability to the parts of the world migrants are travelling from - adding that just taking more and more people was not the answer. |
| Ministers say the UK has spent more than £900m in humanitarian aid to help with the Syrian crisis - more than the rest of the EU put together, according to ex-International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell. | Ministers say the UK has spent more than £900m in humanitarian aid to help with the Syrian crisis - more than the rest of the EU put together, according to ex-International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell. |
| The petition.parliament.uk site is designed to help people get issues on the political agenda and open up a "new dialogue" with MPs and ministers. | The petition.parliament.uk site is designed to help people get issues on the political agenda and open up a "new dialogue" with MPs and ministers. |
| More than 40 petitions passed the 100,000 signature threshold during the last Parliament, and a number were subsequently debated in Parliament, but critics say not enough were given parliamentary airtime. | More than 40 petitions passed the 100,000 signature threshold during the last Parliament, and a number were subsequently debated in Parliament, but critics say not enough were given parliamentary airtime. |