Aylan Kurdi: George Osborne claims Isis to blame for death of Syrian refugee child

Chancellor is first Government minister to speak publicly - 24 hours after picture of Syrian boy washed up on a Turkish beach emerged

George Osborne says Isis is to blame for the death of Aylan Kurdi (Getty)

George Osborne has blamed the death of the Syrian refugee child Aylan Kurdi on Isis.

The Chancellor was the first member of the Government to comment in public since pictures emerged of the three year-old's body washed up on a Turkish beach.

It has led to thousands of people signing up to The Independent's campaign calling on the Government to take its fair share of Syrian refugees.

Mr Osborne said he was "very distressed" when he saw the pictures across the newspaper front pages this morning and hinted that the UK might increase the number of Syrians given sanctuary in the UK, saying: "We will go on taking people and keeping it under review."

Speaking on Sky News, he said: "I was very distressed when I saw it myself this morning, of that poor boy lying dead on the beach.

"We know there is not a simple answer to this crisis, and what you need to do is first of all tackle Isis and the criminal gangs who killed that boy.

"You have got to make sure the aid keeps coming - we have put £1 billion of overseas aid in to help these desperate people.

"And of course Britain has always been a home to real asylum seekers, genuine refugees. We have taken 5,000 people from the Syrian conflict, we will go on taking people and keep it under review.

"Britain has been playing a leading role and it will continue to do so."