Amber Rudd, smirking as though she thinks she got away with it [Image: Reuters].

The ‘Dubs’ scheme proposed a commitment to bring in 3,000 of the most vulnerable children, after months of pressure from campaigners and members of the public to take children from the now-dismantled “Jungle” migrant camp in Calais.

The Tories scrapped it after agreeing to take only 350 children.

Now Ms Rudd is claiming 8,000 children were brought into the UK by the government last year. How many of them were from migrant camps like the Jungle?

She said 3,000 gained access to the country illegally but have been settled here. How many of them were from migrant camps like the Jungle?

The aim of the ‘Dubs’ scheme was to stop child refugees falling into the hands of people traffickers or those who would use them for even worse criminal purposes. Lord Dubs proposed it because the scale of the refugee crisis far outweighed the amount of help being offered by the UK.

So none of the numbers Amber Rudd offered to Robert Peston have any meaning at all, when put in context. It seems she is peddling the ‘fake news’ she warned against.

One cannot help but notice that Mr Peston did not challenge Ms Rudd’s assertion.

All he had to do was ask how many of the children Ms Rudd claimed to have helped had been in danger of falling into the hands of criminals, or taken from migrant camps.

A Tory Cabinet Minister channelled Donald Trump today when she accused the media of “fake news” over the child refugees row.

[Amber] Rudd has been under mounting pressure after axing the “Dubs” scheme used to bring unaccompanied children to Britain from migrant camps.

Just 350 youngsters benefited, despite suggestions at the time that thousands would be allowed in.

But, confronted by criticism on ITV’s Peston on Sunday, she claimed: “Unfortunately fake news is settling out there, shall we say.”

She said: “The fact is we took 8,000 children last year into this country and settled them; 3,000 arrived unaccompanied and illegally and have been settled here.

Source: Amber Rudd says concern over Tories scrapping child refugee scheme is ‘fake news’

Join the Vox Political Facebook page.

If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!

Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:

Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.

The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in either print or eBook format here:

Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:

The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here: