New Home Office criteria to fill the last 150 places under the Dubs scheme to bring lone refugee children in Europe to Britain have been sharply criticised by charities and campaigners.The department has said only children who arrived in Europe before 20 March 2016 will be eligible for the remaining places before the scheme is closed in April.

Ministers have capped the total number to be brought to Britain at 350, well below expectations of 3,000 when parliament approved Lords Dubs’ amendment to the 2016 Immigration Act in May last year.

Charities say the cut-off date, when the EU deal with Turkey to stem the flow of refugees across its border came into force, will exclude the majority of the lone refugee children now in camps in Greece.(The guardian)…[+]