Henry Smith MP column, Crawley Observer, 9 September 2015
As a father myself, the scenes last week of a little boy, drowned and washed up on a Turkish beach were heart-wrenching. Syrian children are the victims of dictators, terrorist and traffickers rather than UK immigration policy though. We have a proud history of offering asylum to those who need it, and the British Government has granted protection to over 5,000 Syrians since the crisis there began.
After the US, the UK is the largest humanitarian aid donor to Syria and neighbouring countries. It is right we use our relative wealth to help those in need directly in the region. However, the Prime Minister has confirmed that the UK will continue to accept more refugees from Syria under existing schemes.
Assisting refugees directly from the camps bordering Syria will allow a safe route preferable to the alternative – the hazardous journey out of the Middle East and across the Mediterranean at the hands of people smugglers that has already cost far too many lives.
This action is on top of the UK’s existing £1 billion programme of assistance.
The Royal Navy has now rescued more than 6,700 individuals – HMS Enterprise remains in the Mediterranean, and HMS Bulwark has been deployed along with Merlin helicopters.
As the Prime Minister said last Friday, the UK is the only major country to keep its commitment to the poorest in the world, of ensuring 0.7 per cent of gross national income is spent on international aid. British assistance has included more than 18 million food rations provided, almost a quarter of a million children supported in education, and more than 6.8 million cases where people have benefited from sanitation and hygiene activities.
The British Government will continue to use international diplomacy, including the UN Security Council, to protect civilians from violence, and to get aid to those who need it.
The Prime Minister said last week that “Britain will act with our head and our heart”. We cannot re-locate and house the world here, so first we must work with our international partners to help bring an end to the conflict in Syria, second it is right we provide humanitarian assistance in the region to alleviate suffering but allow people to go home and re-build their country in time and third for those most in danger, such as children, we can give refuge in the UK whilst not straining public services or housing here.
Finally, this week in Parliament, I have been calling for other oil rich nations, such as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States to do more to help their neighbours in need.