FORMER Foreign Secretary David Miliband has called for the UK to take more refugees, suggesting Britain should be committing to help up to 25,000 a year – four times the original pledge.
Miliband, the president of leading humanitarian aid body the International Rescue Committee, said a greater commitment was needed from richer countries to resettling refugees displaced by war.
Last year ministers agreed to take in 20,000 people driven from the war-torn country by 2020 following a public outcry over the fate of those attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean.
However, Miliband said existing UK Government proposals equated to taking just six refugees per parliamentary constituency, as he challenged Prime Minister Theresa May to take a more humanitarian approach to the issue.
Ahead of the UN Summit on refugees and migrants in New York, which is beginning today, Miliband said there “needs to be a clear commitment” from richer countries to tackle the issue.
Speaking on Sky News’s Murnaghan programme, he said: “I think there is quite a lot of scope for Theresa May to come to the UN and to the Obama summit on Tuesday and say, ‘Look, the UK has a really good record on international overseas aid’.
“We are a leader, the UK is a leader, through the Department for International Development, on global humanitarian help.
“But we can also make a greater contribution beyond the six refugees per parliamentary constituency.
“Frankly, the UK should be saying we will take 20,000 or 25,000 a year, so four times the current level, 25 refugees per parliamentary constituency rather than just six, because countries like Canada are already doing that.”
The former Labour leadership contender, who quit as an MP in 2013 three years after losing the contest to his brother Ed, added: “I think the UK could do more on the refugee resettlement side to match the, frankly, exemplary performance the UK has on international humanitarian aid.”
He also said there was a need to deal with the “symptoms of the problem, that is the fleeing refugees”, but also the humanitarian conditions in countries like Lebanon, Jordan, Pakistan that are “driving people to seek refuge in Europe”.
Meanwhile, Labour’s refugee taskforce chairwoman Yvette Cooper has also urged May to meet the government’s pledge to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees two years early, and then help more.
The former Cabinet minister also called for the Prime Minister to resettle 500 lone child refugees before Christmas – ensuring no youngster is left in Calais’ “Jungle” camp over the festive period.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here