David Cameron’s pledge for the UK to take 20,000 people from Syrian refugee camps has been widely denounced.
Critics of the Government’s response to the migrant crisis say that it is just a drop in the ocean, while one Catholic MP believed that the response could make the situation worse.
Catholic Labour MP Rob Flello said the offer is a “fudge” and smacks of “short-termism”.
“There is no simple answer to this,” he told thetablet.co.uk. “Over the next 10-20 years a greater number of people will be seeking sanctuary. Now is the time for a robust plan.”
“The PM’s decision to provide humanitarian protection to many more Syrians is commendable, but we urge him to be more ambitious,” said Christian Aid’s head of advocacy Laura Taylor. “The need is real and urgent.
“There is an immediate crisis in Syria where millions of people are displaced, as well as many thousands of refugees arriving in Europe every day.
“The Government says it will resettle 20,000 before the end of the present Parliament in five years’ time. They must act much more quickly that than that. Children and the elderly in particular need urgent help before winter sets in."
Green MP Caroline Lucas said: “[The offer] which amounts to letting in just 12 Syrian refugees per day until May 2020 - is pitifully short of what’s needed and what British people want and expect.
“The UK should be taking more refugees – and doing so as quickly as possible. We have a moral responsibility to help those fleeing terror and persecution.”
The Children’s Society welcomed the move but was concerned about the fate of children once their five-year visa expires.
“Providing them with a five-year visa means many more incredibly vulnerable children will have the immediate sanctuary they need,” said Matthew Reed, chief executive of The Children’s Society. “But the Government must give serious thought to what happens when these visas expire, as it is crucial their long-term needs are addressed.
"Many of these children will be here on their own or orphaned with no links to family in Syria.”
Meanwhile, after Pope Francis appeal to Catholic institutions to take in more refugees, an asylum seeker who settled in Glasgow has urged Scots to get over their fears and help those in need of shelter.
“I understand it is not easy for some people in Scotland to accept refugees because many are struggling themselves,” Aimee Ottroh, 41, who fled her native Ivory Coast in fear of her life in 2011, said. “But I hope Scottish people look beyond their fears of the unknown and personal struggles and accept that refugees are human beings like them and need support, encouragement and guidance.”
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