Britain has granted more than 3,000 visas to Ukrainians fleeing the war, a government minister has said, amid fierce criticism of the UK’s sluggish processing of documents for refugees.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said for every Ukrainian refugee it houses and looks after, local authorities would be entitled to more than £10,000. The government has also unveiled details of its “Homes for Ukraine” scheme, saying households who offer sanctuary to Ukrainians fleeing the conflict will be given £350 ($456) per month.
In an interview with Sky News on Sunday, Mr Gove said “more than 3,000 visas” had been issued and said “tens of thousands” of Ukrainians would be eligible to come to the UK through the government’s new sponsorship route.
Last weekend the government was heavily criticised after it emerged that only 50 visas had been granted to Ukrainian citizens.
About 2.7 million people have left Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, according the UN refugee agency.
Announcing the financial help for councils who take in refugees, Mr Gove said: “There’ll be money available for local authorities … there will be just over £10,000 per individual available to local authorities.”
“Then there’ll be additional payments for those children who are of school age and who need to be accommodated within the educational system,” he added.
Mr Gove said the first people using the scheme were expected to arriving in Britain “in a week’s time”.
“People can register their interest on Monday. Matching will be taking place from Friday. I would expect that in a week’s time we’ll see the first people coming here under the scheme.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the UK should be doing more to help refugees, the majority of whom are in countries neighbouring Ukraine.
He called Britain’s existing schemes “too slow, too narrow, too mean”, and said ministers should have started preparing for an influx before the Russian assault on Ukraine was launched.
“The likelihood of an invasion was known weeks ago,” he said. “The Home Office have been far too slow, far too mean in relation to this, and frankly the last few weeks have been an embarrassment for the United Kingdom in the way that it has dealt with refugees.”
Mr Starmer also said ministers should also hit Russia harder with more sanctions.
“Those sanctions, frankly, should have been in place before this invasion started,” he told Sky News, referring to the UK’s punitive measures against Russian oligarchs, politicians and institutions. “I want the government to go further and faster on sanctions.”
The opposition leader had earlier said he would be prepared to host a refugee in his home.
Mr Gove declined to say whether he would follow suit, instead saying he was in the process of “seeking to see what I can do” as an individual to help Ukrainian refugees.
Asked if he would be signing up to offer a room through the government’s new sponsorship scheme, he told Sky News: “I’m going to make sure that I do everything I can as an individual to support. And, again, each individual will have their own circumstances.
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Police officers detain a woman in central Moscow, during a protest against Russian military action in Ukraine. AFP -
Children look at phones as people who fled the conflict in Ukraine wait outside an immigration office in Brussels, Belgium. Reuters -
Soldiers stand next to a bus with a damaged windscreen, after an attack on the Yavoriv military base, in Novoyavorivsk, Ukraine. Reuters -
A soldier waits at a hospital after the attack on the Yavoriv military base. Reuters -
A wounded soldier is transported by medical workers, at a hospital in Novoyavorivsk, after the attack on the Yavoriv military base. Reuters -
Rescuers work at the site of an accident after a bus that was carrying about 50 Ukrainian refugees overturned near Forli, central Italy. One person died in the crash. AFP -
A man wounded in the air strikes at a nearby military complex is assisted by medical staff outside Novoiavorivsk District Hospital. Getty Images -
Paramedics find low ground after an air-raid siren sounds on the outskirts of Novoiavorivsk. Getty Images -
A view of a residential building damaged during an air strike, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Reuters -
A tram damaged by shelling sits at a depot, in Kharkiv. AP -
An abandoned doll next to a car riddled with bullets in Irpin, north of Kyiv. AFP -
A Ukrainian soldier holds a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon that was used to destroy a Russian armoured personal carrier in Irpin. AFP -
Residents try to strengthen the wall of a house damaged by recent shelling, on the outskirts Kyiv. AFP -
Firefighters extinguish a blaze at a house after shelling in Kyiv. AFP -
A convoy of pro-Russian troops outside the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. Reuters -
Smoke from shelling rises behind a wreath at a cemetery in Vasylkiv, south-west of Kyiv. AP -
A woman stands outside a local hospital, damaged during fighting in Volnovakha. Reuters -
People gather in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during clashes in Volnovakha. Reuters -
A Ukrainian soldier leaves a damaged building after shelling in Kyiv. AFP -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. AFP -
A finance police officer boards Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko's superyacht, which has been sequestered at the northern port of Trieste, Italy. Reuters -
A Russian KA-52 gunship strikes a Ukrainian military object. AFP -
Bystanders watch what appears to be Russian forces arresting Ivan Fedorov, mayor of Melitopol, a city in south-eastern Ukraine. Reuters -
Firefighters battle a blaze at a warehouse storing frozen products hit by shelling in Kvitneve, Kyiv region. Reuters -
A soldier loads the cargo hold of a chartered Boeing 747 airplane with duffle bags belonging to US soldiers, during their deployment to Europe, at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia. AP -
Two young girls pray for peace in Ukraine at Lisbon's 16th century Jeronimos Monastery. AP Photo -
A volunteer of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces walks on the debris of a car wash destroyed by Russian bombing in Baryshivka, east of Kyiv. AP Photo -
Volunteers pass an improvised path under a destroyed bridge as they help an elderly resident in Irpin, north-west Kyiv. AP Photo -
A woman who was evacuated from Irpin kisses a cat wrapped in a blanket at a triage point in Kyiv. AP Photo -
An explosion is seen in an apartment building after a Russian army tank fires in Mariupol. AP Photo -
A Russian army tank moves through a street on the outskirts of Mariupol. AP Photo -
Tonya Steyn, office manager and volunteer co-ordinator, sorts through medical supplies at the non-governmental organisation, SOS International headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. AFP -
An overview of damaged buildings and burning fuel storage tanks at Antonov Airport in Hostomel, north-west of Kyiv. Maxar Technologies / AFP -
The destroyed main building of school number 25, after being bombed in Zhytomyr. EPA -
A supporter holds a sign to support Ukraine during Paris' mayor and 'Socialist party' (PS) presidential candidate's campaign meeting in Rennes, western France. AFP
“It is the case that something like one in 10 UK citizens, which is an amazing amount, have said that they want to do something to help. But we want to make sure that people are in a position to help, because inevitably it’s a significant commitment.
“I recognise that we need to operate in different ways and in different phases to help people who are fleeing persecution.”
Pressed on whether that meant he would be offering a room, he said: “I’m in the process of seeking to see what I can do, yes.”
