EUROPE is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. Throughout this crisis Britain has played its part.

The dedicated service men and women of our Royal Navy have saved thousands of people from drowning in the Mediterranean; Britain is already one of the biggest donors in the world to Syrian refugee camps and we have already given sanctuary to thousands of Syrian refugees.

But the crisis has worsened, we can and must do more. It is right that this week the prime minister has announced that we are going to take thousands more refugees, but not in a way that encourages them to make a perilous and dangerous boat ride at the hands of criminal smugglers who are extorting money from those fleeing their homeland.

The first priority has to be saving lives but the work to support refugees does not stop when they arrive in our country. We need to see the government looking at ways to use international aid budgets to help support refugees once they have entered the UK, to take some of the pressure off local councils providing essential support in housing, healthcare and education.