THE plight of Syrians in Aleppo and Raqqa was called the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of modern times by North Wiltshire MP James Gray in the House of Commons.

The member of parliament raised his concern about the lack of progress and support from the United Nations and Russia during questions to the international development secretary on Wednesday, January 11.

Mr Gray said: "The fact is that the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of modern times is taking place in Aleppo, Raqqa and Mosul today. Should we not now admit that there is precious little that we in the liberal west can do to alleviate the appalling circumstances in Aleppo unless we have the support of the United Nations and Russia?"

Responding to his question, MP Priti Patel insisted that the UK was a leading provider of humanitarian support and that the government was trying all diplomatic avenues.

She said: "In terms of the work that the Government are doing, we must never lose sight of the fact that we are leading in humanitarian assistance and support. People are in desperate need, and we have the right focus on giving them all the necessary support.

"The other point is diplomacy. It is the job of the Government to carry on putting on the pressure, and we must use all the avenues of international diplomacy to put that pressure on, where it is needed."