Today David Cameron has announced that the UK will expand the numbers of people resettled in the UK through the Syrian Vulnerable Person’s Relocation Scheme, with an intention to support “thousands more”.

The Government has come under pressure in recent days for the UK to do more to support those who are caught up in the refugee crisis. There has been an outpouring of support among the general public and calls from politicians from across the political spectrum urging the Government to do more to support refugees fleeing to Europe.

Since its announcement in January 2014, the Syrian Vulnerable Person’s Relocation Scheme has only resettled 216 people, so the increase in the scheme is welcome, and long overdue.

The Prime Minister stated that he will be in discussion with NGOs and other bodies next week to inform the decision on the scale of the increase.

In response to the announcement, Refugee Council’s Chief Executive, Maurice Wren, stated:

“It is very welcome news that the Prime Minister has announced that Britain will increase the number of Syrians we will resettle. We urge David Cameron to be ambitious about the scale of the increase and be thinking in the tens of thousands in order to make a significant difference to those struggling to survive in the region. Each resettlement place Britain provides will be life changing, if not life-saving for some of the world’s most vulnerable refugees”.