This week
saw the return of Parliament after the Summer Recess. The issue that dominated debate in the House
of Commons was the refugee crisis.
The
situation with refugees and migrants across the world is a complex issue and
there are no quick and easy answers. Recent news has been focused on Syria; the
number of people fleeing the civil war, and atrocities by the Assad regime and
ISIS.
The UK is
playing a major part in the humanitarian relief efforts in the region. We are
spending a billion pounds supporting the refugee camps – the second highest
contributor to the crisis after the USA. We have also been taking genuine
refugees from the camps in the area – a policy that we will continue. I am
pleased that the Prime Minister confirmed that the UK will now be taking a
further 20,000 Syrian refugees as well as increasing the aid we give to the
area.
I also
agree with the Prime Minister that the answer is not to simply open our borders
and encourage people to come to Europe. It could be argued that by giving this
message the German position has exacerbated the issue not helped it.
If we
encourage people to leave the safety of the camps in places such as Turkey we
are in fact playing into the hands of the people traffickers who charge
desperate people high fees to transport them to Europe.
Those who
are able to make the journey to Europe tend to be the younger, stronger and
wealthier; they have the physical and financial resources to make the journey.
Those in most need are often those who remain in the camps; they are too weak,
elderly or sick to travel and cannot afford to pay the cost of the journey. For
these reasons I believe that the right policy is to take refugees from the
camps rather than encourage people to travel to our borders.
I am also
pleased that the Chancellor has confirmed that we will be using our Overseas
Aid Budget in order to cover the cost of housing and caring for the refugees in
our country. I will continue to support this policy in order to ensure that
local services in the areas that accept refugees continue to be funded and
undue pressure is not put on services to the detriment of local people.
None of
these measures are a long-term solution. We need to address the cause of the
Syrian refugee crisis. We need to work towards returning Syria to a safe and
stable country where its citizens can live without fear of oppression and harm.
I believe we are now at a point where all options should be considered
including creating ‘safe zones’ within Syria. Any long-term answer is likely to
include sending troops into the country. Just dropping bombs, no matter how
targeted will not achieve the required outcomes.
The UK, as
part of a joint coalition with other nations, needs to consider what action
needs to be taken to bring about the changes needed in Syria for the sake of
its citizens.
