In a report from The Daily Mail, British Prime Minister David Cameron officially announced today that 20,000 Syrian refugees are being given aid by the British government which will only last for the next five years. The number of refugees continues to rise as the crisis in Syria worsens according to The Telegraph. The Prime Minister also emphasized that Britain would only receive vulnerable refugees from camps in the region, excluding those people who have crossed the Mediterranean into Europe.
As cited on The Guardian, Cameron told MPs: "We will continue to show the world that this country is a country of extraordinary compassion, always standing up for our values and helping those in need." In this regard, Britain should follow the established UN rules and regulations in identifying those refugees who are most in need, especially the orphans.
Based on the same news of The Guardian, the Prime Minister is now confronted with harsh criticism from Labor and SNP MPs, even from the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Right Rev Justin Welby said: "the Government's offer was 'very slim'. It's likely it is going to have to rise over the next five years unless the driver, which is local conditions in the camps, is dealt with significantly." Moreover, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said: "It isn't enough to take refugees over five years when the crisis is now. In the 1930s Britain took 10,000 children in just nine months." Meanwhile, the SNP's leader in Westminster, Angus Robertson, said: "it was a shame it is being spread over the next five years." To this Sir Gerald Kaufman, Father of the House, added: "You say you're going to take in 20,000 refugees over five years. The Germans took in 10,000 on one day. What kind of comparison is that?"
As cited in a post on The Guardian, Philip Davies, Conservative Backbencher, said: "Base your decisions on common sense and being practical - and not on the affliction of so many other politicians which is some kind of emotional craving to be seen as compassionate irrespective of the practicalities of the situation." However, the British Prime Minister calmly responded that the decision of the British government to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees, not to mention £1billion aid-fund, meant that no other country in Europe could match its response to the Syrian crisis.
