A leading cleric has welcomed government plans to allow more unaccompanied Syrian refugee children to live in the UK.

But the Bishop of Dover, the Rt Rev Trevor Willmott, said prime minister David Cameron needs to come up with a clear plan to live up to his promise made in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

He said: "This commitment is good news but it must be followed up by an allocation of sufficient resources for local authorities.

"Learning from the experience of welcoming a number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children into Kent, we have seen first-hand the huge difference that can be made to people's lives when we begin to treat them as special and loved.

"We have been heartened and encouraged by the generosity and time given by volunteers, communities and a wide range of partner organisations in responding to the complex needs of these young people who have journeyed across Europe in search of safety."

Mr Cameron, fearful of a backbench rebellion on the issue, told MPs: "I am talking to Save the Children to see what we can do more, particularly about children who came here before the EU-Turkey deal was signed.

"What I don't want us to do is to take steps that will encourage people to make this dangerous journey because otherwise our actions, however well-meaning they will be, could result in more people dying than more people getting a good life."