Conservative UK MPs ratchet pressure up on Cameron

After UK Prime Minister David Cameron said last night that taking in more people is not the answer to the EU’s refugee crisis, which involves many Syrians, Conservative MPs are putting pressure on the country to take in more.

Since Syria's civil war started in 2011, the UK has focused on offering humanitarian aid rather than taking in large numbers of refugees for resettlement.

The UK has taken in at little under 4,200 refugees, most of whom came to the UK independently and then claimed asylum. Another 187 were relocated as part of the UK's Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme, launched in 2014.

“We cannot be the generation that fails this test of humanity,” tweeted Nicola Blackwood, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon. “We must do all we can.”

Tom Tugendhat, MP for Tonbridge, Edenbridge and Malling, told the Press Association: "I've spoken to many in west Kent who want us to do more and I agree with them. Our common humanity demands action at home and abroad."

Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, also tweeted her thoughts:

The UK I know has always shouldered its burden in the world. DfID is doing life-saving work abroad but we can - & must - do more at home 1/2
— Ruth Davidson (@RuthDavidsonPC) September 3, 2015

2/2 This is not an immigration issue, it's a humanitarian one, and the human response must be to help. If we don't, what does that make us?
— Ruth Davidson (@RuthDavidsonPC) September 3, 2015