Some of the “most vulnerable” Syrian refugees will be temporarily resettled in the UK, Deputy PM Nick Clegg has confirmed.

He said girls and women who had been victims of or were at risk of sexual violence, torture victims, and elderly and disabled people would get priority.

This meant the coalition was ensuring the Britain’s “long and proud tradition of providing refuge” lives on, he said.

The government expects the number of refugees accepted to be in the hundreds but has not set a specific target.