Lib Dem leader Tim Farron accuses Government of ‘turning blind eye to child migrants’

"Blind eye" Tim Farron said the Government could do more to help migrant children in Calais
Mary Turner/Getty Images
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The Government was today accused of “turning a blind eye” to the suffering of migrant children in Calais.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron condemned ministers for alleged delays in bringing vulnerable, unaccompanied youngsters, who have relatives in the UK, across the Channel.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the Tory annual rally in Birmingham yesterday that the Government was doing “all we can” to bring over eligible children because they have family here or it was in their “best interests”.

But Mr Farron, who visited northern France to see the migrant crisis earlier this year, said: “The British and French governments seem happy to turn a blind eye and look the other way while children are being subjected to violence and serious sexual abuse.”

Unacceptable: Tim Farron said the Government "is turning a blind eye" to the plight of migrant children in Calais 
PA

He spoke out after a group of Tory MPs called on unaccompanied children in the “Jungle” migrant camp to be taken out of it before it closes.

Campaigners say they have identified almost 180 refugee children living there who are entitled under international rules to come to the UK. Former Cabinet minister Nicky Morgan and Tim Loughton, interim chairman of the Commons home affairs committee, are among the MPs urging Ms Rudd to offer a safe haven to those youngsters who are eligible. Mr Loughton said: “This surely must be speeded up before the camp is dismantled.”

The MPs highlighted that a 14-year-old boy recently died in Calais when he fell off a truck while trying to reach the UK. He had a legal right to be with his brother, they added, but had waited for months in “wretched conditions”.

Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave claimed the Government has “deliberately delayed” the process of transferring unaccompanied children with family members in this country.

Laura Griffiths, a senior field manager working in the Jungle for Safe Passage UK, said: “There are children as young as eight on their own, having nervous breakdowns, at risk of sexual abuse.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “The dismantling of the camp in Calais is a matter for the French government.

“The UK Government has made crystal clear its commitment to resettle vulnerable children under the Immigration Act and ensure those with links to the UK are brought here using the Dublin Regulation.”

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