Councils In Last-Ditch Plea To Boris Johnson On Child Refugees
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Councils have urged Boris Johnson to restore protections for lone child refugees to his Brexit bill or risk them being exposed to abuse or exploitation.
Twelve local authority leaders from around the country made the last-ditch intervention as the prime minister braced for a defeat on the issue in a Tuesday House of Lords vote on his withdrawal agreement bill (WAB).
Johnson stripped from the bill protections of family reunion rights for child refugees, but has insisted he will restore them in the forthcoming immigration bill.
That has been rejected by Labour peer Lord Dubs, who has pioneered the issue and warned that ministers’ promises cannot be trusted.
Lord Dubs, who came to the UK on a Kindertransport as a child refugee fleeing the Nazis, is one of four Lords members leading Tuesday’s push to formally reinstate family reunion rights in the WAB.
Now the 10 councils have joined him in calling on the government to guarantee that it will negotiate a continuation of “safe passage” for lone child refugees in Europe through family reunion before Britain leaves the EU on January 31.
They are concerned that if ministers do not replace EU regulations on family reunion, known as Dublin III, unaccompanied children could be at risk after Brexit,
In a letter to the PM organised by Lewisham council leader Damien Egan, they said: “Local authorities are supporting thousands of children who have endured horrendous journeys on lorries in order to reach the UK, precisely because they are not able to access a safe and legal route such as family reunion.
“Guaranteeing access to safe passage, such as family reunion and the Dubs scheme, will help us, as local authorities, plan and prepare for children’s arrivals. And critically, it will give more children an alternative to risking their lives.
“Family reunion under Dublin III has meant hundreds of children are no longer trying to...
