United Kingdom survey shows fall in British support for refugees

“Refugees arriving tomorrow are fleeing the same terrorists that committed these attacks in Paris”.

The refugees were selected from camps in Lebanon, Jordan and other countries bordering Syria.

Thirty-seven per cent responded that they previously thought fewer should be accepted “and still do”, whereas 22 per cent said that they had previously thought more should be welcomed and had not changed their minds, meaning that the majority of Scots would like to see fewer Syrian refugees re-homed overall.

“There are two levels of screening that take place” by the United Nations and the Home Office, including “biometrics”, May told parliament on Monday.

“I think for people on the flight this is a really significant day for them because for many of them they will have been in the camps around Syria for months or years, experiencing all the hardships having fled horrific situations in Syria”, he said. Refugees were met by representatives of five Scottish local authorities who will help them settle.

“Over the coming weeks we’ll be working in partnership with local authorities and communities across Scotland to provide as much support as we can to help these families rebuild their lives here in safety”, Christie said in a press release.

The flight, believed to be carrying about 100 people from camps surrounding the war-torn Middle East state, landed at around 3.40pm today.

“I urge people not to let these terrorists win by dividing us and driving a wedge between the multi-cultural society Scotland is home to”, she was quoted in an official statement as saying.

They include people suffering from health problems, including post traumatic stress disorder, our correspondent added. “People, like you and I, who don’t want to live in fear of constant violence”.

Richard Harrington, the minister for Syrian refugees who was in Glasgow yesterday, said: “These arrivals are a landmark moment for the vulnerable persons’ resettlement scheme and the result of great collaboration between the government, the UNHCR, local authorities and the devolved administrations”.

The charter flight formed the vanguard of the United Kingdom government’s resettlement scheme, which was significantly expanded in September.

The Home Office has confirmed offers of support from more than 45 councils around the United Kingdom, while talks are continuing with dozens more.

Humza Yousaf, the minister for Europe and global development, said it was important to “protect the privacy and security” of those arriving, but said they would find the “warmest of welcomes” in their new communities.

As the scale of the refugee crisis grew over the summer, the government promised to expand the scheme to take 20,000 refugees by 2020 and 1,000 by the end of this year.