David Cameron uses Tim Farron's question on refugees to make 'cheap joke' about Liberal Democrats
'It’s good to see such a high turnout of Liberal Democrat MPs,' the Prime Minister said, referring to the party's depleted post-election numbers
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Your support makes all the difference.David Cameron has used a question by Tim Farron on the plight of child refugees in Lesbos to make a “cheap joke” about the Liberal Democrats, to loud cheers from the Tory benches.
Mr Farron, who became the party’s leader following Nick Clegg’s resignation, raised the crisis on the Greek island at today’s Prime Minister’s questions.
“Yesterday I visited the refugee camps on Lesbos and there I met families that were inspirational and desperate,” he said.
“Alongside the British charity workers I found there, I am frankly ashamed that we will not offer a home to a single one of those refugee families.
“So may I ask the Prime Minister this question: Will he agree with a Save the Children plea that we take as a country 3,000 vulnerable unaccompanied children in Europe, some who are as young as six?”
Mr Cameron responded by welcoming his opponent’s first question as Liberal Democrat leader, adding: “It’s good to see such a high turnout of his MPs.”
The quip was greeted by loud cheers and laughs from Conservative MPs, who had been heard shouting “who?” as Mr Farron stood to speak.
He appeared to take the joke in good humour, smiling as the Prime Minister launched into his answer.
Mr Cameron repeated his commitment to taking in 20,000 refugees directly from camps outside of Europe, claiming that 1,000 would be “housed, clothed and fed” in Britain before Christmas.
But he refused the plea made by Save the Children, saying he had examined it “very carefully” but that “there are other NGOs and experts who point to the very real danger of separating children from their broader families”.
Commentators on Twitter were quick to criticise Mr Cameron’s response to the Liberal Democrat leader’s question.
“Tim Farron asks a serious question about 3000 refugee children stranded in Lesbos and Mr Cameron makes a cheap joke about Lib Dem party,” Emma Litson wrote.
Nick Barlow, a former Liberal Democrat councillor, wrote: “So, Tim Farron asks an important question about unaccompanied child refugees. Cameron’s first response is a joke. Stay classy, Dave.”
Another commenter dismissed Mr Cameron’s “snide and shabby answer”, while one criticised the Prime Minister’s “disgusting mocking”.
Kirsty McNeill, Save the Children’s director of campaigns, said iwas heartening that Mr Farron raised the issue of the thousands of unaccompanied children making desperate journeys to Europe alone, saying they were "incredibly vulnerable" to abuse by people traffickers and criminal gangs.
“Despite the Prime Minister’s comments, we are not talking about children who have extended family they can stay with – these are children who are alone with few safe places to stay and no one to protect them. We work tirelessly to allow children to remain in, or return to, the care of their families, but in some cases this simply isn’t possible," she added.
"That’s why we would like David Cameron to consider again taking in 3,000 unaccompanied children who are already in Europe alone and unsupported, which Save the Children has calculated is Britain’s fair share.”
Lesbos, which is roughly the size of Skye, has seen thousands of refugees and migrants arrive on its shores every day through the summer and the influx shows no sign of abating.
Mr Farron was one of several politicians to visit the island, where families are sleeping rough or in squalid refugee camps as their asylum claims are processed, before they can continue their journey towards western Europe.
Save the Children is one of the charities working on Lesbos and at other points on refugees’ routes from Turkey and North Africa into Italy and Greece, and onwards to more affluent countries.
Last month, it drew up a proposal for the UK to take a “fair share” of the most vulnerable unaccompanied children from “frontline” countries receiving the highest number of arrivals in Europe.
“The response to this crisis at the European level is progressing at a painstakingly slow pace,” a spokesperson for Save the Children said, listing dangers including sexual abuse, violence, exploitation and trafficking.
“Children are at very high risk here in Europe and we cannot afford to waste more time. Britain can show leadership in the protection of these very vulnerable children and uphold its tradition of providing refuge to the most vulnerable by offering to relocate those children when this is in their best interests.”
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