Migrant crisis: David Cameron to confirm aid budget will be diverted for Syrian refugees

refugee crisis — The UK prime minister has promised to take 'thousands more' Syrian refugees Getty

David Cameron is expected to outline his government's measures for taking "thousands more" refugees from Syria as MPs return to the House of Commons on 7 September after their summer break. The prime minister will confirm that some of the UK's £12bn ($18.2bn) aid budget will be diverted to councils in a bid to help those fleeing the Middle East for Britain.

The House of Commons speech will come after Chancellor George Osborne revealed over the weekend that the government was planning a "rethink" of its aid budget as the migration crisis continues.

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The top Tory told BBC's Andrew Marr show: "We have got a £12bn aid budget, we spend £250m on those countries like Syria, Jordan and Turkey. We have got to have a fundamental rethink of how we are using this budget. This budget is tied to our GDP, our GDP is going up, let's use the additional money very specifically on the challenges that Britain faces, one of which is this crisis on our doorstep."

Cameron made a U-turn over the issue after originally claiming the UK should not take more refugees from Syria. The prime minister, speaking during a visit to Portugal and Spain, said on 4 September that Britain would take "thousands more" people from Syria and provide resettlement for those fleeing the Middle East.

"We will do more, providing resettlement for thousands more Syrian refugees. We will continue with our approach of taking them from the refugee camps. This provides them with a more direct and safe route to the UK rather than risking the hazardous journey which has tragically cost so many of their lives," he said.

"We will discuss how best to design these schemes, and the numbers we will take, with NGOs and our partners, and we will set out more details next week. Alongside this, Britain will continue to work with partners to tackle the conflict in Syria, to provide support in the region, to go after the smuggling gangs exploiting these people and we will continue to save lives at sea."

The move came after the government faced increasing pressure from the public and politicians, particularly after the publication of the picture of drowned Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi, who was tragically found washed up on a Turkish beach.