New government legislation which will remove the right for refuge children to be reunited with their families has been slammed as “cruel” and “heartless” by Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins following an overwhelming Parliamentary vote last night.

The Government had altered a clause in the EU Withdrawal Bill that removed the legal right for unaccompanied refugee minors to be reunited with their family. Labour attempts to re-introduce the humane clause was defeated in Parliament by 348 votes to 252 after Tory MPs voted it down.’

Toby said, “I voted in favour of passing the second reading of the Withdrawal Agreement because I wanted to get the Brexit process moving. But there is no benefit to Britain in making some of the planet’s most deprived children be the victims of our country’s decision to leave the EU. The Labour amendment would simply have set protections in law to ensure that refugee children are reunited with their families, it wouldn’t have either blocked or delayed Brexit.

Boris Johnson secured a significant majority in the General Election and now it is the most vulnerable people on the planet who are being made to pay for that. I will continue to argue that there is no reason why a vote to leave the EU needs to result in us becoming a meaner, less humane society.”