Boris Johnson facing defeat in Lords over refusal to guarantee protection for child refugees Exclusive: PM in for a rough ride from peers over ‘immoral’ child refugee policy

The government is heading for defeat in the Lords over its refusal to enshrine protection for child refugees in the Brexit agreement.

Boris Johnson has scrapped a promise by Theresa May to guarantee that child refugees should be continue to be reunited with relatives in Britain after exit day.

A change to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) – announced after the Tories’ election victory – has been condemned as “immoral” and “disgraceful” by opposition parties.

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It only commits ministers to “make a statement” on the issue once Brexit has taken place.

Mr Johnson won an overwhelming majority of 96 when the issue was put to the vote in the Commons yesterday, but faces a much rougher ride after the WAB reaches the Lords next week.

Alf Dubs, the Labour peer whose amendment to Bill to help refugee children was accepted by Mrs May, is leading calls for a government change of heart.

‘Tragic consequences’

Opposition sources in the Lords – where the Conservatives are far short of a majority – told i that Labour and Liberal Democrat peers would vote en masse for the “Dubs amendment” and would be backed by large numbers of crossbenchers and Tories.

“The question is what happens when the issue goes back to the Commons and whether the government backs down then,” a source said.

Ahead of Wednesday’s Commons debate, Lord Dubs and the Labour leadership hopeful Sir Keir Starmer wrote to all Tory MPs calling on them to vote against the Prime Minister’s change of heart.

The SNP’s home affairs spokeswoman, Joanna Cherry, urged ministers to accept proposals to protect child refugees after Brexit or risk “tragic consequences”.

She said: “Right now, across Europe, there are thousands of unaccompanied children living in the most desperate circumstances, many of whom are separated from their families. And legal family reunion is a lifeline to these children who would otherwise risk their lives in dinghies or in the back of lorries in order to reach a place of safety with their family.”

She added: “For the Government to seek to remove those protections now risks causing panic amongst refugee families currently separated in Europe with potentially tragic consequences.”

Policy ‘has not changed’

Brexit minister Robin Walker has said the Government is committed to supporting child refugees.

Mr Walker told MPs: “This Government is fully committed both to the principle of family reunion and to supporting the most vulnerable children. Our policy has not changed. We will also continue to reunite children with their families under the Dublin Regulation during the implementation period.”

He added that there was “very strong support on these benches for the principle of family reunion”.