Sir Erich Reich, Association of Jewish Refugees chairman, has called on David Cameron to do more to “help some of the most vulnerable victims” of the refugee crisis.

The former Kindertransport refugee said the Prime Minister should accept 3,000 unaccompanied child refugees from Syria.

In a letter to Mr Cameron, Sir Erich urged him to “demonstrate compassion” and said that he had learned of the rejection of resettlement proposals “with great sadness”.

Fellow Kinder Lord Dubs took an amendment to the House of Lords asking for the admission of 3000 children into Britain, but the proposal was rejected by MPs last month in the House of Commons.

Sir Erich wrote: “I strongly urge you and your colleagues to reconsider how we can intervene to help some of the most vulnerable victims of an internecine conflict that has claimed the lives of thousands of people and displaced millions.

“The echoes of the past haunt many of my fellow Kinder and I whose fate similarly rested with members of the British parliament.

“I feel it is incumbent on us to once again demonstrate our compassion and human-kindness to provide sanctuary to those in need.”

Sir Erich, who was born in Vienna in 1935, was one of 10,000 children sent from Nazi-occupied Europe to safety in the UK before the start of the war.

Mr Cameron has said the UK has made a commitment to take 20,000 refugees and a further 3,000 mainly unaccompanied children from outside Europe.