Nicola Sturgeon writes to Theresa May over 'shameful' backtrack on helping child refugees

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged the UK Prime Minister Theresa May to reverse the government's "shameful" decision to turn away child refugees.

In a letter, Sturgeon said that May should act on her "moral duty to do what we can to help those the most in need".

Sturgeon's letter continues: "I urge you to reverse the shameful decision on the Dubs amendment which cuts off the only reliable and legal route for unaccompanied children arriving from Europe."

The amendment, named after Labour peer Lord Dubs, himself a child refugee who fled Nazi Germany at the age of 10, would have seen the UK agree to accept 3,000 refugees.

The government has now the UK's intake at 350 of the unaccompanied children.

The announcement, which was made in a statement from Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill, he said that local authorities indicated "have capacity for around 400 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children until the end of this financial year" and that the country should be "proud" of its contribution to finding homes for refugees.

In response to the decision, Lord Dubs said: "At a time when Donald Trump is banning refugees from America, it would be shameful if the UK followed suit by closing down this route to sanctuary for unaccompanied children just months after it was opened."

A prominent member of May's own party, Tory peer Baroness Helic has also said that May needs to "live up to the ideal "of giving refuge to the most vulnerable people".

In an interview with The Times, the Baroness said: "Britain has a long and proud history of giving refuge to the most vulnerable people. I hope that our government will find a way to live up to that ideal, even amid current challenges."

"Of course, we have to ensure that the local authorities have the means of meeting this task and I am not party to the discussions in government. But as they say, where there is a will there's a way.

"I hope this is not the end of it and that there is more we can do, in a balanced and measured way."