I am sure many have seen the heart breaking images of the 3 year old Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi whose body was swept up on a beach in Turkey.  Words cannot describe how harrowing this image was for anyone to see.

But this is just one image. Thousands of men, women and children have lost their lives this summer fleeing their home country in order to save themselves and their families, only to be crammed into unsafe boats and trucks by people traffickers who have no regard for their lives whatsoever.

So far the response from the Prime Minister and the Government has been a disgrace. With the 2500 people estimated to have lost their lives in the Mediterranean this summer, Britain has taken in just 216 Syrian refugees. This is a humanitarian crisis of a colossal scale and as a nation we cannot stand by and watch.  

Yvette Cooper, Shadow Home Secretary, recently called on David Cameron to take in 10,000 refugees. I am 100% behind her plans and call on the Prime Minister to act now rather than look on by as he has done all summer.

This is not an issue of being politically popular. It is our duty as a nation to look after human beings, provide refuge for those who need it, and to do everything we can to help put an end to this humanitarian disaster.

Save the Children are running a Syria Crisis Appel. Donations can be made here: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/about-us/emergencies/syria-appeal?sourcecode=A12022054&utm_campaign=syria&utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=pss1&sissr=1