- Diane Abbott said Labour would let child refugees bring parents to the UK
- She said they would also end policy of deporting children when they turn 18
- The Conservatives have pledged to get immigration down to tens of thousands
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott today said Labour would let more immigrants into Britain if they are elected into Downing Street.
The Labour frontbencher said that if Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister he will usher in new laws to loosen border controls.
She said they will change the rules to let child refugees who come to Britain bring their parents and carers with them.
Ms Abbott also said Labour would end the policy of deporting children without the entitlement to be in the UK when they reach the age of 18.
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott (pictured today) said Labour would let more immigrants into Britain if they are elected into Downing Street (file pic)
She said: ‘This commitment underlines our commitment to human rights. This is the application of Labour values and it is the right thing to do.’
But the Tories warned the changes would just encourage children to make the potentially perilous journey to Europe across dangerous and war-torn areas.
They said this would put the lives of vulnerable children at risk and could also leave them vulnerable to being preyed upon by gangs who operate along these refugee routes.
A Tory spokesman said: ‘Labour’s policy would risk breaking up families, creating a dangerous incentive for children to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean and on to the UK on their own.
The Conservatives under Theresa May (pictured in the Commons today) have pledged to try to get net migration down to the tens of thousands
‘Our immigration policy will always support those in genuine need and those who need the most.’
But Ms Abbott said that more needs to e done to tackle the heart breaking situation which sees families broken apart.
She said most migrants were driven by the need to escape the desperate conditions they were living in rather than so-called ‘pull’ factors.
She said: ‘The push factors on migrants far outweigh any other issue.’
The Conservatives have pledged to try to get net migration down to the tens of thousands.
But despite introducing the pledge several years ago they have never met it.