Watford MP Richard Harrington has backed the Government and voted to defeat a Labour proposal to allow 3,000 unaccompanied child refugees to come to the UK from Europe.

Labour peer Lord Dubs made the proposal and likened it to the Kindertransport scheme, which enabled children to escape Nazi-controlled areas of Europe before the Second World War.

However, ministers said that it would only encourage more refugees to come to Europe, preferring to admit youngsters from camps in and around Syria instead.

The motion was defeated by 294 votes to 276 on Monday night.

"I have spearheaded efforts to bring over 1,000 vulnerable Syrian people to the UK already, over 500 of whom are children, and they are settling into this country after the horrors they have seen in the Middle East," said Mr Harrington - also the Minister for Syrian Refugees.

Chair of Watford Labour Party Mike Jackson said he was "appalled" at the vote.

He said: "As the so-called Government Minister for Syrian Refugees, he had a special responsibility to show leadership but yet, he along with a majority of Conservative MPs voted down a Lords proposal that had cross party support in Parliament, that would have taken 3,000 of the most vulnerable refugee children, including Syrians, into the UK.

"Where is our MP’s humanity? There may be political differences on how to solve the refugee crisis but when it comes to children there can be no excuse for abandoning them.”

Mr Harrington said: "We have pledged to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees and an additional scheme is in place to help thousands of at-risk children from the Middle East and North Africa.

"Both of these schemes are carefully thought through, in collaboration with the United Nations and on their advice.

"This year over 30 asylum seeking children have been accepted for transfer from France and will be reunited with family in the UK. Under our international obligations this will continue.

"This Government is totally committed to helping those whose lives have been torn apart by the conflict and we should be proud that we have pledged £2.3bn in aid, helping those in Middle Eastern refugee camps such as in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon."