LABOUR MP Jo Stevens has converted her constituency office into a collection centre for aid that will be rushed to refugees across Europe.

As Tory PM David Cameron continued to sit on his hands in the face of a humanitarian crisis yesterday, Ms Stevens threw open the doors of her office for donations.

The Cardiff Central MP issued an urgent call to residents of the Welsh capital for clothes, sleeping bags, tents, blankets and baby slings.

Two former Cardiff Labour councillors, Cerys Furlong and Siobhan Corria, are also running drop-off points in other parts of the city.
The political pals began the collection after seeing the distressing photo of young child Aylan Kurdi, who was found drowned on a beach in Bodrum, Turkey.

Ms Stevens told the Star: “I was chatting to a couple of friends and we thought what can we do that’s practical to help.

“All three of us are mothers so the photograph of the young boy was absolutely horrific to us.

“That photo has galvanized people into taking action.”

The plight of refugees, particularly from war-torn Syria, is something Ms Stevens has been passionate about since well before she was elected in May.

But with more than 922 asylum seekers in Cardiff — three times as many as nearby Bristol — the crisis is a major issue in her constituency.

By comparison, there are just 10 in the whole of Oxford where Mr Cameron is an MP, according to official figures obtained by Labour MP Paul Flynn through a freedom of information request.

“I have a lot of Syrian refugees who come to my surgery, along with people from other war torn countries in the Middle East,” said Ms Stevens.

“So every week I’m seeing and hearing horrific stories — and that’s from people who have managed to get here.”

“We need some leadership from the government. This is a humanitarian disaster and we just need to something about it.”

Four sleeping bags were the first donation received by the MP yesterday, while “lots more” constituents had called to say they would be making deliveries.

One constituent had even contacted her on social media to offer their home to a refugee.

All donations must be received by Friday September 11 when they will be taken to Calais and distributed across Europe by aid agencies.
n More details can be found at www.jostevens.co.uk
lukejames@peoples-press.com