Dr Neil Quilliam | Acting Head | Middle East and North Africa Programme
There is no end in sight to the Syria conflict. The flow of refugees will continue to place neighbouring countries under severe political, social and economic strain, raising the prospect of further destabilization across the region. There is a clear link between instability in the Middle East and the UK's increasing vulnerability to security threats.
Current UK government policy towards Syrian refugees only accentuates these threats. Instead, the UK government should underpin regional stability and support Syrian refugees and neighbouring countries by resettling or providing temporary admission to 10,000 vulnerable Syrians. It should do this through two channels. First, it should increase the number of refugees it admits under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme – from hundreds at present to 5,000. And second, it should grant entry to a further 5,000 refugees through a humanitarian temporary admission programme, selecting those most vulnerable on the basis of established UN criteria.
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