David Cameron announces major U-turn on refugee children as he opens the door for some living in camps inside Europe

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David Cameron has announced Britain will take in some child refugees living in camps inside the EU in a major climbdown. 

He said the Government will accept a plan put forward by Labour peer Lord Dubs to take in an unspecified number of unaccompanied refugee children who have already arrived in Europe and told MPs he is talking to Save the Children to 'see what more we can do'. 

The U-turn comes after increasing pressure from Tory MPs, who pledged to rebel against the Government and back Lord Dubs' plans in a parliamentary vote next week.

Downing Street accepted that it will not be able to face down a parliamentary revolt.

Mr Cameron said ministers are coordinating with local authorities to draw up plans to take in child refugees from camps in Europe and pledged to speed up applications from child migrants in Europe with a direct family connection to the UK.

Downing Street accepted that it will not be able to face down a parliamentary revolt on the plight of unaccompanied Syrian refugee children who have fled to continental Europe

The U-turn follows calls from the Daily Mail to give sanctuary to unaccompanied children in squalid European refugee camps.

The Government had resisted calls to take in any refugees who had already fled to Europe because of fears that doing so would encourage more to make the perilous journey to the continent. 

Downing Street said the amended plans announced today would only apply to child refugees who had arrived in Europe before March 20, when the EU-Turkey migrant deal came into effect. 

Under the deal, the EU takes in one Syrian migrant living in Turkey for every unregistered refugee sent back to Turkey from the Europe.

Lord Dubs, who came to Britain under the Kindertransport scheme for children fleeing Nazi Germany, had initially attempted to make Britain take 3,000 but the proposal was narrowly defeated. 

His latest amendment, which does not give a specific number of beneficiaries, won the backing of enough Tory MPs to suggest the Government would be defeated in next week's vote. 

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions today, Mr Cameron backed down and said the Government will support his plans. 

He said that 'because of the steps we are taking' it would no longer be necessary to try to overturn Lord Dubs' amendment. 

David Cameron is preparing to open the door to some child refugees (pictured) living in camps inside the EU in a major climbdown after Downing Street accepted that it will not be able to face down a parliamentary revolt 

'I do want us to proceed with as much support across the House as we can,' he told MPs.

'I am also talking to Save the Children to see what we can do more, particularly about children who came here before the EU-Turkey deal was signed.

'What I don't want us to do is to take steps that will encourage people to make this dangerous journey because otherwise our actions, however well-meaning they will be, could result in more people dying than more people getting a good life.'

Explaining the Government's fresh approach, the Prime Minister's spokeswoman said: 'Throughout this whole process, the key principle we have worked with is the idea we don't create a system or approach that encourages people to make the dangerous journey from refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey to Europe – we don't want to create that perverse incentive.

'Clearly, we also want to ensure there is support across the House on this so the PM has announced today in addition to what we are already doing – which is more than any other country in Europe – we will be working with Save the Children and speaking to some local councils about taking some additional unaccompanied children but only those that arrived in the EU before March 20, which was the EU-Turkey deal.' 

The spokeswoman said it was important to ensure councils have the appropriate support structures in place - such as education and other social services - before Britain started to accept children. 

'It's important we take it forward in a sustainable and principled way,' she added. To qualify to come to the UK, child refugees will have had to be registered in Greece, France or Italy before March 20, she said. 

The climbdown was welcomed by Lord Dubs. 'I welcome the government's decision, as it will help ease the plight of some of the unaccompanied child refugees in Europe,' he said. 

The Prime Minister (left) said the Government will accept a plan put forward by Labour peer Lord Dubs (right) to take in an unspecified number of unaccompanied refugee children who have already arrived in Europe

David Cameron said he was talking to Save the Children to 'see what more we can do' to help unaccompanied children who are living in refugee camps in Europe, such as the 'Jungle' in Calais (pictured) 

'I trust the Prime Minister will be true to his word and move swiftly to ensure the Home Office works closely with local authorities to find foster families to give these young people a stable and secure home.' 

Government officials have also been instructed to work on a plan which would make it easier for those who can prove they have family in Britain to move here from countries such as France and Greece.

Under a scheme known as Dublin 3, youngsters who have a sibling or aunt or uncle already here are eligible to relocate to the UK, but the rules are strictly administered – benefitting only 23 children who were living in squalor in Calais. 

Relaxing the rules to include extended family, while making more strenuous efforts to identify would-be beneficiaries, is now under consideration by No10 and the Home office. 

But Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, who has led calls for the UK to open its doors to refugees in Europe, said Downing Street's plan to strengthen the Dublin regulations do not go far enough to tackle the growing humanitarian crisis in Europe.

'It will take time to make Dublin more effective and efficient and this is something we simply don't have,' Mr Farron said. 

David Cameron said ministers are coordinating with local authorities to draw up plans to take in child refugees from camps in Europe and pledged to speed up applications from child migrants in Europe with a direct family connection to the UK

Government officials have also been instructed to work on a plan which would make it easier for those who can prove they have family in Britain to move here from countries such as France and Greece

'That is why the PM must act now and offer safety to 3,000 vulnerable refugee children who are unaccompanied in Europe. Many Conservative MPs are u-turning on their vote against this last week, and it is time for the PM to join them.'  

Officials are also looking at extending the 'humanitarian protection' which is currently granted to children taken from refugee camps on the border with Syria to youngsters already present in Europe.

Under this special status, they are granted permission to stay in the UK for an initial five years only.

Yvette Cooper, chair of Labour's refugee taskforce, said much more detail from the Government was needed.  

'The huge campaign to help child refugees has forced the Government to accept that more needs to be done - and that is real tribute to Alf Dubs, Save the Children and the cross party campaign,' she said. 

'But we still need much more detail about what the Prime Minister is planning now.

'Last week David Cameron said he was opposed to the Dubs amendment, now it appears he will accept it. If so that would be extremely welcome and would show that strength of Parliamentary feeling has forced Ministers to change their minds.

'But they need to show they will turn the amendment into new and tangible action. The spirit of the Dubs amendment is for Britain to give sanctuary to lone child refugees in Europe and simply reiterating their previous promise to speed up existing rules isn't enough.' 

Officials have been instructed by David Cameron (pictured) to work on a plan which would make it easier for those who can prove they have family in Britain to move to the UK from countries such as France and Greece

Last week the Mail published a leader that said: 'It cannot be stressed too strongly that, under international law, the UK has no duty to these children, however wretched or desperate they may be.' 

But it went on: 'While we understand the arguments for hardening our hearts, we believe that in the exceptional circumstances of this crisis, it would be wrong to do so. True, we have no legal or treaty obligation to lift a finger to help. But our moral and humanitarian duty cannot so easily be shrugged off.'

The proposals are likely to be unveiled at the end of this week ahead of a House of Commons vote on Monday.

Senior Government sources said the Prime Minister was determined not to do anything which would increase the UK's 'pull factor' and lead to more children being put on boats to Europe in the hope of a new life in Britain.

But insiders said there was a recognition that, if the Government's flagship Immigration Bill is to clear Parliament by the end of the current session, concessions would have to be made.

This morning the Tory backbencher Heidi Allen - who abstained when the issue was last debated by MPs - said that ministers faced defeat at the hands of Conservative rebels unless they gave ground.

'It is not relatively safe to be pulled into trafficking and prostitution. Talk to the doctors there - Medecins Sans Frontieres - they are literally stitching up children on a daily basis and sending them back to the camps,' she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

'That is not the safety that you and I think of when we think of Europe. These children are not safe at all. They need our help.'

The Prime Minister's Official Spokeswoman hinted at the climbdown yesterday. She said: 'There's a bit of time for the Government to be thinking about that and how we make progress on the immigration bill. As on any bill, it is quite sensible that you consider how you take it through the House and how you get it on to the statute book.'

Up to 35 Tory MPs and eight Democratic Unionist Party members have signalled they intend to switch sides and back a compromise plan put forward by Labour peer Lord Dubs.

His attempt to make Britain take 3,000 child refugees from the EU was blocked in a Commons vote last Monday with a majority of just 18. His latest amendment – which does not give a specific number of beneficiaries – will be voted upon in the Commons on Monday.

Yesterday Lord Dubs, who fled to Britain as a child fleeing Nazi persecution, asked potential foster parents to put their name forward to take a refugee child in readiness for the climbdown. He has described the Government's position as 'a monumental political misjudgment'.

Lord Dubs said he would not accept any compromise that involved Britain contributing funding to other European countries without bringing any child refugees to our shores. He said: 'It dodges the issue. There is no question of our dealing with it all ourselves but we should have some share of the responsibility.'

Today Yvette Cooper, who chairs Labour's taskforce on the issue, will visit child refugees in Athens with Stephen Phillips, the Tory MP who led the rebellion against the Government.

They want to highlight the plight of vulnerable, unaccompanied youngsters languishing in squalid conditions in the EU.

Miss Cooper said: 'The Government is resisting helping child refugees in Europe because the Prime Minister has said they are safe. However, children's homes in Italy and Greece are full and charities are warning thousands of children are at risk.'