Former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams is among 250 faith leaders calling on Boris Johnson to guarantee the rights of lone migrant children to seek refuge here.
In a letter to the prime minister today (Sat), they say Britain has a ‘moral duty to act’ because two schemes for claiming asylum are ending.
MPs and charities say without the legal routes more of those stuck in migrant camps could fall prey to ruthless trafficking gangs.
One route known as the ‘Dubs Scheme’, created in 2016 and which allows lone minors with no family here to re-settle, reached its 480-place capacity last month.
And child migrants with relatives already here will lose their right under EU law to be reunited with them when the Brexit transition period expires at the end of this year.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams (pictured) is among 250 faith leaders calling on Boris Johnson to guarantee the rights of lone migrant children to seek refuge here
In their letter to the PM, which includes dozens of Church of England bishops, senior rabbis and imams, the faith leaders write: ‘With the ‘Dubs scheme’ over and with child refugees losing their access to family reunion after we exit the EU, very soon there could be no safe, legal routes for child refugees in Europe to seek sanctuary in the UK.
‘As a signatory to the Global Compact on Refugees and one of the world’s richest countries, seeking to build and demonstrate global cooperation and goodwill, we have a moral duty to act.’
Dr Williams, now a crossbench peer in the House of Lords, told the Mail: ‘We’ve all been more conscious than ever in these last few months of the cost of isolation, and how much more painful this is at a time of sickness and vulnerability.
‘There are still thousands of unaccompanied children isolated in refugee camps and holding centres, especially in the Greek islands, who are more at risk than ever at this time of pandemic disease and who urgently need safe and legal means of settling in secure environments.
‘We are simply pleading with the Prime Minister to honour the best traditions of this country, the commitments made by previous governments and to respond to the Europe-wide challenge to guarantee safety.
Tory MP Tim Loughton (pictured), who sits on the Home Affairs Committee, has joined forces with Labour to table an amendment to the Immigration (EU Withdrawal) Bill which would transfer the EU’s Dublin Regulation into UK law when the Brexit transition period ends
‘They need the same security and love that our own children need. And we need to show what we all hope is true: that our moral compass as a country has been strengthened and not weakened by the trials we have been going through.’
It comes after 47 migrants, including lone children, were reunited with family members in Britain under the EU’s Dublin Regulation after being flown in from Greek islands last month.
The Mail highlighted the plight of lone children in squalid conditions after visiting the island of Lesbos and telling their stories.
The UK has its own family reunion and relocation scheme.
But charities and MPs point out it is not as generous as the EU’s Dublin Regulation, which has a wider definition of what qualifies as a relative.
Tory MP Tim Loughton, who sits on the Home Affairs Committee, has joined forces with Labour to table an amendment to the Immigration (EU Withdrawal) Bill which would transfer the EU rule into UK law when the Brexit transition period ends.
The Mail highlighted the plight of lone children in squalid conditions after visiting the island of Lesbos and telling their storie. Pictured: A migrant family wearing handmade protective face masks on the island of Lesbos on March 28
He said: ‘It’s the right thing to do. We are often dealing with kids who have parents killed in wars and they need any relative they can to establish a link with the UK.
‘You may find children who currently qualify no longer do after this year.’
However, reunion rights are still subject to the outcome of ongoing Brexit talks and there is no guarantee the amendment will pass.
Labour’s Yvette Cooper, chair of the Home Affairs Committee, said: ‘Britain has a long history of helping vulnerable child refugees – especially those who are alone with no one to care for them.
‘We need to make sure that current arrangements for helping lone child refugees rejoin family can continue otherwise those children and teenagers will be easy prey for dangerous trafficking and smuggler gangs. That’s why we have put forward a cross-party amendment to the Immigration Bill.’
Lord Dubs, who introduced legislation to set up the Dubs Scheme in April 2016, said: ‘It’s important child refugees should have safe paths to safety, otherwise they fall into the hands of the traffickers or other terrible dangers like trying to cross the ocean. We should continue to share responsibility with other countries.’
The faith leaders’ letter to the PM was organised by charity Safe Passage.
Its CEO Beth Gardiner Smith said: ‘Last winter, the Government gave repeated assurances in Parliament that it was committed to helping child refugees join their relatives in the UK, but it has now published a Brexit negotiating position that would replace concrete family reunion rights with a watered-down, discretionary system.
‘There is a clear moral case for the UK to take leadership of this issue and provide safe and legal routes for child refugees.’