WE will work alongside other political parties to help child refugees

Today, WE pledge to fight alongside the Labour Party, SNP and Liberal Democrats to help the thousands of unaccompanied child refugees stranded in Europe.

“When I visited the Jungle camp in Calais in January, there were more than a thousand children surviving there on their own, and numbers were rising,” said Women’s Equality Party leader and London Mayoral candidate Sophie Walker.

“The conditions in the camp, particularly on that bitterly cold winter’s day, were terrible. It is utterly wrong that we are not doing more to help these frightened, lonely children to safety.”

This week, a Commons vote saw the Government defeat a cross-party amendment to the immigration bill that would have seen the UK accept 3,000 child refugees.

“WE are delighted that a further amendment to the Bill, proposing that the Government works with local authorities to determine how many child refugees can be brought here, was voted through by the House of Lords yesterday,” Walker continued.

“Currently, these children are reliant on a network of incredible volunteers who have made their homes in the refugee camps in order to safeguard them. They are vulnerable not only to the elements, but to exploitation and abuse – some have died trying to make the crossing to the UK.”

She added: “I met many children in the Jungle who, because they had family members here, had a legal right to asylum in the UK. But there was no-one to give them the help they needed to make their application. With political will, we can help them. We can close these camps. And we can make these children safe.”

“The Women’s Equality Party will fight alongside all political parties to make this change happen.”

Published April 27, 2016