We are so so grateful for all of your support so far: dozens of you joined us outside the Home Office on Wednesday, and over 82,000 of you have now signed the petition!
But - just because we’ve handed the petition in, this does not mean the Home Office can think we’ve forgotten about it. We want to ensure that we keep this momentum going, which is why we’re asking you to write to your MP before PMQs this Wednesday.
Prime Minister’s Questions is a really important opportunity for MPs to raise urgent issues from their constituents – with Brexit and a general election both very much on the table, we want to be certain that MPs are prioritising the needs of refugee children.
We’ve made it easy for you to write to your MP: we’ve provided some suggestions of what to say, which you can use to send a letter via writetothem.com – it only takes a couple of minutes, and the more of you who do this, the more potential we have to make an impact!
1) Find your local MP via writetothem.com
2) Use the suggested points below to write your letter
3) Click send
4) Comment below to let us know which MPs you have contacted
Thank you!!
Melissa and Hannah xx
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Dear [your MP’s name],
- As a member of your constituency, I am concerned about the planned closure of the family reunification scheme for child refugees, which is set to end after Brexit. Will you raise the issue at PMQs this week?
OR
- I am writing to you as a member of your constituency, regarding the urgent needs of refugee children across Europe. Please can you raise the issue at PMQs this week, and ensure we prioritise the needs of refugee children?
SUGGESTED PARAGRAPHS:
- The Home Office is currently planning to scrap a vital scheme which reunites refugee children with their families in the UK. After Brexit, they will no longer be accepting applications for family reunification from vulnerable refugee children across Europe.
- These children are living in terrible conditions in camps in Greece, in tents or even on the streets in Northern France and other parts of Europe. Their only hope is to be reunited with their loved ones in the UK.
- The tragic news this week of the 39 people who died in the back of a lorry, has been met with some calls to increase security at the border – experts are saying however, that this will only make things worse.
- The reason that so many people are turning to drastic measures, is not because walls are not high enough, or the punishments too great – it is because they are desperate, and there are no safe alternatives. We need to ensure that we do what we can for these vulnerable children.
AND
- [Perhaps your own paragraph explaining why you think it’s important to keep the scheme]
AND
- This campaign (https://www.change.org/p/urgent-keep-reuniting-child-refugees-with-their-families-after-brexit is now backed by over 82,000 people, including Lord Alf Dubs, Rabbi Janet Darley, and organisations such as Safe Passage, Refugee Rights Europe and Help Refugees. Please join us, and help by raising the issue at PMQs on Wednesday.
Many thanks for your support.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]