Refugees are welcome here
Newcastle Liberal Democrats parliamentary candidates (r-l) Wendy Taylor (East) Nick Cott (Central) and Anita Lower (North) say :
We have all supported Newcastle as a City of Sanctuary in Council, and to accept refugees from Syria into the City.
We pledge to respect the importance of refugee protection, including in wide-ranging debates about immigration, and, if elected, to uphold the proud tradition throughout the UK of welcoming people forced to flee war and persecution and helping them rebuild their lives.
We are also delighted that the Liberal Democrat manifesto sets out a plan to take 50,000 refugees over five years from Syria in the next parliament, as well as reopening the Dubs programme for unaccompanied asylum seeking children stranded in Europe, and working with international partners to create safe and legal routes.
Under the Theresa May, the Conservatives have u-turned on two previous pledges, one to take more refugees from Syria and another to help abandoned child refugees.
Tim Farron says
"This is about the sort of country we are. The Britain I love is an open, tolerant, united country with a generous spirit and compassion for those in need. I love my country - and I hate it when my government makes me feel ashamed.
"Faced with suffering and trauma on a scale not seen since the Second World War, Theresa May has wilfully chosen to tear up her promises to help some of the most vulnerable children and people in the world.
"In the last two years I have visited refugees in Calais, Lesbos and Macedonia. I've looked these refugees in the eye and seen their suffering. By committing to taking 10,000 Syrian refugees a year and reopening Dubs we can do our part to ease that suffering.
"And that's why I'm proud that I lead a party that welcomes refugees and accepts its responsibilities. It's the decent thing to do. It's the right thing to do. And it's the patriotic thing to do."
We agree with Tim