WEST Dorset MP Oliver Letwin has explained his decision to vote 'no' against allowing 3,000 child refugees asylum.

Mr Letwin said no to the proposal to let the unaccompanied children in to the UK from Europe.

A vote in the House of Commons saw the bill rejected by 294 votes to 276.

Last week it was announced that up to 3,000 refugees will be taken in by the UK from the Syria region by 2020.

Campaigners, however, are calling for 3,000 unaccompanied children who have already made it into Europe to be allowed in to the UK.

Following the vote, Mr Letwin said: "It is incredibly important that we provide safety and security for the millions of people who have been forced to flee from Syria, and that we should give them the best possible prospects of returning home.

“That's why the UK is giving over £2 billion to maintain safe camps on the borders of Syria, and also why we have a carefully designed programme of resettlement to the UK for 20,000 highly vulnerable people and a further 3,000 highly vulnerable children.

“This is the right way to achieve a genuine humanitarian result -- rather than creating incentives for unaccompanied minors to make hazardous journeys across continents."

Ministers also argued that offering sanctuary to lone children who have already reached Europe could mean more fall in to the hands of traffickers.

The vote was on an amendment to the immigration bill.

The count result was met with cries of 'shame' as it was read out in the House of Commons.