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David Cameron announces 20,000 Syrian refugees will be accepted by Britain - after more than 360,000 sign our petition David Cameron announces 20,000 Syrian refugees will be accepted by Britain - after more than 360,000 sign our petition
(35 minutes later)
David Cameron has announced that 20,000 Syrian refugees will be welcomed into Britain by 2020, coming after The Independent's campaign calling for the UK to do its fair share was backed by more than 360,000 people.David Cameron has announced that 20,000 Syrian refugees will be welcomed into Britain by 2020, coming after The Independent's campaign calling for the UK to do its fair share was backed by more than 360,000 people.
Telling MPs that Britain would live up to its "moral responsibility," Mr Cameron said the refugee crisis was the "biggest challenge" facing European countries. Signalling a major U-turn in the Government's policy after last week insisting Britain was doing enough, Mr Cameron said Britain must live up to its "moral responsibility" to tackle the refugee crisis, which he described as the "biggest challenge" facing Europe.
He said Britain must use "our head and our heart" to pursue a "comprehensive response" to the crisis. However the 20,000 figure might not be reached until the end of the decade, the Prime Minister said, and he failed to say how many refugees will be welcomed by the end of this year.
The announcement signals a significant U-turn in the Government's policy in less than a week. It had previously focused efforts at tackling the humanitarian crisis at source, pledging £1bn of aid to Syrian refugee camps in neighbouring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. Mr Cameron also announced that the RAF killed a British Isis terrorist located in Syria last month, telling MPs that the decision to act was "entirely lawful". "We took this action because there was no alternative," he said. "We were exercising Britain’s inherent right in self defence."
"No European country has come close to this level of support," Mr Cameron told MPs. The decision to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees marks a significant U-turn in the Government's policy in less than a week.
However the figure the Prime Minister has agreed to take in pales in comparison to our European neighbours, with Germany welcoming in as many as 15,000 in just one weekend. It had previously focused efforts at tackling the humanitarian crisis at source, pledging £1bn of aid to Syrian refugee camps in neighbouring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
"No European country has come close to this level of support," Mr Cameron told MPs this afternoon. He said Britain must use "our head and our heart" to pursue a "comprehensive response" to the humanitarian crisis.
Britain has accepted just 216 Syrians into Britain over the past year as part of a relocation scheme, while accepting around 5,000 Syrians since 2011 through the normal asylum process, but that figure only involves Syrians who have reached the UK border.
In a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Cameron said: "Given the scale of the crisis and the suffering of the Syrian people it is right that we should do much more.
"So Mr Speaker, we are proposing that Britain should resettle up to 20,000 Syrian refugees over the rest of this Parliament.
"In doing so we will continue to show the world that this is a country of extraordinary compassion always standing up for our values and helping those in need. So Mr Speaker, Britain will play its part alongside our other European partners."
However the number of Syrian refugees the Prime Minister has agreed to take in pales in comparison to our European neighbours, with Germany welcoming in as many as 15,000 in just one weekend.
The announcement comes after Mr Cameron finally bowed to pressure on Friday to step up Britain's role in alleviating the growing refugee crisis engulfing Europe, but would give no further details than pledging to accept "thousands more" into Britain.The announcement comes after Mr Cameron finally bowed to pressure on Friday to step up Britain's role in alleviating the growing refugee crisis engulfing Europe, but would give no further details than pledging to accept "thousands more" into Britain.
Earlier today Mr Cameron was told by the French President not to "shirk your duties" from standing in solidarity with the rest of Europe to accept Syrian refugees. Earlier today Mr Cameron was told by the French President Francois Hollande not to "shirk your duties" from standing in solidarity with the rest of Europe to accept Syrian refugees.
Francois Hollande said: "On the issue of refugees, it’s true that Britain is not in the Schengen zone and has a certain number of capabilities that are different to Europe. But that doesn’t exempt it – and David Cameron has said this himself - from making an effort in terms of solidarity." Mr Hollande said: "On the issue of refugees, it’s true that Britain is not in the Schengen zone and has a certain number of capabilities that are different to Europe. But that doesn’t exempt it – and David Cameron has said this himself - from making an effort in terms of solidarity."
"In Calais, these are people who are not looking for asylum in France but to go the UK. Everyone must understand that you can't demand solidarity when there's a problem and shirk your duties when there are solutions.”"In Calais, these are people who are not looking for asylum in France but to go the UK. Everyone must understand that you can't demand solidarity when there's a problem and shirk your duties when there are solutions.”