Russia will be at ‘war with Nato’ if it bombs any of the alliance’s territory, Sajid Javid warns
Britain’s response to the Ukraine refugee crisis had been “embarrassing” compared to that of other countries, Sadiq Khan said.
The UK has maintained visa rules for those fleeing the Russian invasion, approving the applications of only around 3,000 refugees as the European Union opens its doors to hundreds of thousands without visas.
The Mayor of London said “it’s embarrassing when you compare what little we’ve done with most of what our neighbours have done” and that visa rules should be simplified.
Meanwhile, a scheme to pay £350 to people in the UK opening their homes to Ukrainian refugees is set to be launched today.
A website for registering interest will go live this afternoon and the government expects to see the first arrivals within a week.
Elsewhere, Sajid Javid warned Russia would be at war with Nato if it bombed any of the military alliance’s territory.
The health secretary was responding to a question about Russian bombings in western Ukraine, one just 11 miles from the border of Poland.
key points
Show latest update
1647254706
Brit flying to Poland to offer his home directly to a Ukrainian refugee
A British man said he would head to Poland to offer his home to a Ukrainian refugee in person.
He praised the new government scheme of paying people to host refugees but said that he would not want to host someone he had never met, preferring to first check compatability with them through meeting.
“You’ve got to gel,” he said.
Brit flying to Poland to offer his home directly to a Ukrainian refugee
Liam James14 March 2022 10:45
1647253880
Petrol prices hit new record high again
Petrol prices have hit another new record high.
Figures from data firm Experian Catalist show the average cost of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts on Sunday was 163.5p.
The average cost of a litre of diesel was 173.4p.
Oil prices have soared since Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to higher wholesale costs for fuel retailers and higher prices at the pumps.
Labour yesterday called on the government to act as analysis by the party suggested families would have to pay nearly £400 a year more for petrol.
Liam James14 March 2022 10:31
1647252486
UK refugee response ‘embarrassing’, says Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan said the government’s response to the Ukraine refugee crisis had been “embarrassing” compared to that of other countries.
The Mayor of London said the visa system for refugees must be simplified as it was “far too complicated for those from Ukraine to come to London, and our country”.
Suggesting the government was behind public opinion, he said: “Councils are ready to step up, hotels are ready to step up, businesses are ready to step up, Londoners are ready to step up.
He added: “With the right support, with the visas being sorted out, we should be able to do at least what Germany and France and Italy and Spain and others have been doing.
“It’s embarrassing when you compare what little we’ve done with most of what our neighbours have done.”
The UK has approved around 3,000 visas for refugees while the EU has waived visa rules for those fleeing Ukraine.
Neighbouring Ireland, a country with one-tenth of the UK’s population, has accepted more than 5,000 refugees so far.
Around 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
Liam James14 March 2022 10:08
1647251425
Refugees Welcome: Join our call for stronger action from government
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015.
Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered.
If you would like to sign our petition, follow the link below:
Liam James14 March 2022 09:50
1647249965
Javid says ‘not practical’ to make oligarchs homes priority for refugees
Sajid Javid suggested that housing Ukrainian refugees in the mansions of sanctioned Russian oligarchs was not the most sensible option after Michael Gove said the government was exploring the possibility.
Mr Gove yesterday said he wanted to use the homes of wealthy Russians whose assets had been frozen.
This morning, the health secretary was asked on ITV’s Good Morning Britain whether these houses should be the first place considered.
He said: “I don’t think it would be practical to make them the first place … I think there’ll be some legal hurdles to try and do that, but it’s right that he looks broadly to see how we can house more and more Ukrainian refugees.”
Mr Javid said it was a “sensible approach” to help UK residents to offer refugees places to stay – ahead of the launch of a scheme to pay people to house those fleeing Ukraine.
Liam James14 March 2022 09:26
1647248882
Squatters take over London ‘oligarch’s home’
Squatters have occupied a property reportedly belonging to a Russian oligarch sanctioned by the government.
Police said they had been in Belgrave Square since shortly after 1am this morning and found a number of people were in the property and had hung banners from the upstairs windows.
Liam James14 March 2022 09:08
1647247692
UK donating electric generators to Ukraine
The UK will donate more than 500 mobile generators to Ukraine to supplement the loss of power through damage caused in the Russian invasion.
Kwasi Kwarteng said the generators could provide power to around 20,000 homes and were requested by Volodymyr Zelensky in phone calls with the Business Secretary and Boris Johnson.
Ukraine has suffered power cuts as Russian forces lay siege to cities around the country.
The south coast city of Mariupol has been without power for days and Ukrainian officials said attempts to get vital supplies to residents had been blocked by Russian attacks.
Liam James14 March 2022 08:48
1647246467
Raab to offer help in Ukraine war crimes investigation
Dominic Raab will today travel to The Hague “to offer Britain’s help in helping to gather the evidence” of potential war crimes committed in Ukraine.
Sajid Javid told Sky News that the Justice Secretary would make the trip after he was told a mother and baby who were at a Ukrainian maternity hospital reportedly targeted by Russia had died.
Mr Javid said: “In fact, the most recent information I have from the World Health Organisation is they now have documented evidence of at least 31 such attacks of health facilities hospitals, including shelling.
“A couple of days ago of a cancer hospital, as well. So these are war crimes.”
The International Criminal Court in The Hague has opened an investigation into the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Chief prosecutor Karim Khan has received referrals for an investigation from 41 countries, with Japan and North Macedonia adding their names to the list on Thursday.
Liam James14 March 2022 08:27
1647245526
Cash-to-host refugee scheme set to open today
The government scheme to pay £350 to people in the UK to host Ukrainian refugees will launch today.
A website gathering expressions of interest in the Homes for Ukraine scheme will go live this afternoon and the government expects to see the first arrivals within a week.
People sponsoring refugees through the new uncapped route will be required to commit to the scheme for a minimum of six months – but will encouraged to keep up the offer for as long as they can.
Announcing the plan yesterday, Michael Gove said “tens of thousands” of refugees could come through the route, as he revealed on Sunday that local authorities would receive £10,000 for each Ukrainian refugee sponsored in their area.
The government has been under fire over the speed and scale of its efforts to bring people fleeing the war to the UK, with access previously limited to those with family members settled in this country.
There was no limit on numbers announced for the new scheme but the Refugee Council charity said it “falls short” of what is needed, claiming “it will inevitably be restricted to those who are known to people in the UK”.
Liam James14 March 2022 08:12
1647244698
Watch: Sajid Javid warns Russia over war with Nato
Footage of Sajid Javid’s comments on the Nato response to any attack on its territory, as mentioned in the last post:
Russia will be at ‘war with Nato’ if it bombs any of the alliance’s territory, Sajid Javid warns
Liam James14 March 2022 07:58
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-news-putin-ukraine-refugees-patel-b2035083.html
