David Cameron backtracks on Government's refusal to resettle refugee children from inside Europe

The Prime Minister says local authorities will be able to help children who fall outside the Government's existing scheme

The Government has backtracked on its refusal to resettle refugee children who have already reached Europe by letting local councils take in more unaccompanied minors from Greece, Italy and France.

Angus Robertson, the Scottish National Party’s leader in Westminster, challenged David Cameron on the issue at Prime Minister’s questions.

While insisting he would “stick to the principle” of resettling children from refugee camps in the Middle East and North Africa because the Government did not want to encourage more treacherous sea journeys, the Prime Minister hinted at other changes.

“We’re already taking child migrants in Europe with a direct family connection to the UK and we will speed that up,” Mr Cameron said.

Syrian refugee children stand at a fence in Nizip district near Gaziantep, Turkey (EPA)

“We are also talking to Save the Children to see what more we can do, particularly with children who came here (to Europe) before the EU-Turkey deal was signed.

“What I don't want us to do is to take steps that will encourage people to make this dangerous journey because otherwise our actions, however well-meaning they will be, could result in more people dying rather than more people getting a good life.”

He said the UK would not opt in to "failed" European Union resettlement quotas and argued that comparing the issue to the Kindertransport that saved children from the Nazis was an "insult" to the countries involved.

But Mr Cameron confirmed that there is no longer a set number of refugee children in an amendment to the Immigration Bill, allowing the Government to "go round" British councils to see what more they can do.

A spokesperson for Downing Street said children registered as asylum seekers in Greece, Italy or France before 20 March would be eligible for resettlement.

Those deemed to be vulnerable to trafficking or exploitation will be prioritised as part of work with the UN Refugee Agency and Save the Children.

Children play among cubicles that contain bunk beds in Berlin (Getty)

"The Government is not putting a fixed number on arrivals, but will instead work with local authorities across the UK to determine how many children will be resettled," Downing Street said.

"We will move quickly to consult local authorities, with the first arrivals expected before the end of the year."

The initiative will be on top of a previous proposal for unaccompanied children and the UK's pledge to take 20,000 Syrian refugees over five years.

Campaigners said the Government's existing plans to take in up to 3,000 children from refugee camps in the Middle East and North Africa were “not good enough” last month.

That proposal was announced days before a crucial vote in the House of Commons on a rival plan to take in unaccompanied minors who have already risked their lives to reach Europe.

Humanitarian organisations say thousands of children are trapped across the continent, sleeping rough or in squalid camps and detention centres where they are left vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

Mr Cameron has previously insisted the children who have succeeded in reaching Europe are not in immediate danger as they are no longer in a conflict zone and they should be looked after as near to their home countries as possible.

Some ministers have also argued that taking in unaccompanied minors from camps such as the Jungle in Calais would simply encourage more to make treacherous journeys across the Mediterranean and Aegean seas.

Tory backbencher Heidi Allen - who abstained when the issue was last debated by MPs - said that ministers faced defeat at the hands of Conservative rebels unless they gave ground.

"It is not relatively safe to be pulled into trafficking and prostitution. Talk to the doctors there - Medecins Sans Frontieres - they are literally stitching up children on a daily basis and sending them back to the camps,“ she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"That is not the safety that you and I think of when we think of Europe. These children are not safe at all. They need our help."

Pressure on ministers intensified with the intervention of a former Jewish child refugees from the Nazis, urging them to offer sanctuary to those in need.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Sir Erich Reich, chairman of Kindertransport-Association of Jewish Refugees, appealed to him to "demonstrate compassion", while an amendment to the Immigration Bill to take refugee children from within Europe was started by another refugee from the Nazis, Lord Dubs.

The proposal was due to be voted on again next week but Mr Cameron said the step was no longer needed and the Bill would not be sent back to the House of Lords.

Downing Street said on Wednesday that it had "responded" to the campaign and would accept the revised amendment put forward by Lord Dubs, when it returns to the House of Commons next week.

Lord Dubs said he welcomed the Government's decision and hoped it would help "ease the plight of some of the unaccompanied child refugees in Europe".

He added: “I trust the Prime Minister will be true to his word and move swiftly to ensure the Home Office works closely with local authorities to find foster families to give these young people a stable and secure home.”

The Refugee Council said the announcement only raised the policy of "limited chances" for lone children to find safety in Britain.

Dr Lisa Doyle, the charity's head of advocacy, said: “However, we shouldn’t be fooled into thinking the Government has suddenly discovered its conscience while it’s simultaneously vilifying asylum seekers who are already in the UK and doing its best to trap all other refugees in poor countries.

“The British public have made themselves clear – refugees’ lives matter. The Government must stop trying to outsource its wider responsibilities and instead act quickly and generously to offer refugees safe passage.”

Additional reporting by PA