Home Office accused of playing to an ‘anti-refugee’ audience over handling of Ukraine crisis
A Plaid Cymru MP has accused the UK Government of ‘making the right noises’ yet ‘keeping the door shut when’ it comes to helping refugees from Ukraine.
Liz Saville Roberts, MP for Dwyfor Meirionydd, was speaking on BBC Politics Wales this morning and responding to the suggestion that current UK Government initiatives could allow for up to 200k Ukrainians to come to the UK.
Compared to the actions which countries within the EU, such as Germany and Ireland, are taking to support people fleeing from Ukraine, she called the efforts from the Home Office ‘shameful’ and said it was assuming that most people were ‘anti-refugee.’
She also said that there was little difference between the current measures and what she called the Home Office’s ‘appalling behaviour’ towards people escaping the humanitarian crises in Syria and Afghanistan.
She said: “We only have to compare what’s happening with the UK and what the Home Office is permitting and choosing to permit, with that which our neighbours are doing.
“Just as an example from Germany, where Germany is offering to buy train tickets for refugees from Ukraine, to anywhere within the EU countries and our neighbours, very close to me here where I am today in Ireland of course, they’re offering refugees to come on the Ukrainian passport for three years.”
‘Anti-refugee’
“It does make us wonder, because we were told that under the Brexit regulations, the Home Office and the government would be freed up to do what they would wish to do.
“We can only jump to the conclusion really that the Home Office now is very happy to make some of the right noises when they’re pushed in that direction because they’re afraid to be on the wrong side in the history books, but they are still really playing to an audience which they assumed to be anti-refugee.
“And we’re not really seeing all that much difference to the way the Syrian refugees were treated. Only earlier last year in Afghanistan, when we see humanitarian crisis, how appallingly the Home Office actually behaves.
“The Home Office is making the right noises but as for here in Wales, where we aspire to be a nation of sanctuary, where we could do so much more, what we’re seeing as the Home Office, shamefully at this time, still keeping the door shut.”
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Crisis in Afghanistan can be tempered if the West released Afghan’s money.
UK Gov with Boris leading the way with exaggeration and fibbing is hell bent on avoiding the cost and disruption of taking in an extra 100,000 or more on top of the mix that already arrives via the Manche every day from our other disasters in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Sub Sahara Africa ……. These people speak with forked tongue – all humanitarian words and gestures but the real actions are few and far between. They hope that most displaced Ukrainians will prefer to settle as near home as possible – Poland, Hungary, Germany, Czech, Slovakia – so that UK… Read more »
Typo correction — 2nd line 2nd para – This is already a problem with our current stock of disadvantaged…
Face it, your basic Tory wants nothing to do with anyone who doesn’t speak english with any accent other than RP. (Unless suspiciously wealthy and likely to donate)
This why they look at the North and the devolved regions askance and down their noses at anyone with English as a 2nd language.
Pure snobbery and racism.
Being Tories they want a ‘Small Sate’ and accepting refugees costs the state money so it is obvious where Priti Patel’s policy originates. Oligarchs and bandits with loads of cash are a quite different matter as they help keep the trough full for the Snouters.
So restrict the number of Ukrainian refugees yet Russian oligarchs continue to own billions worth of property in London?
Take oligarch properties and fill them with Ukrainians. One on the nose for kleptocrats. Better for refugees than hostels as long as they don’t mind living in London.
The Tories in the UK government are cruel and inhumane and not just regarding Ukrainian refugees.They should take a really long hard look at themselves in the mirror and lower their heads in shame.
Yes Steve, they should, but being Tories thay have no concept of shame so don’t hold your breath.
Welcome to post Brexit global Britain. This is all a joke to Tories, Tweeting refugee’s can apply for seasonal worker visas, blocking the Russia report, filling in questionnaires for criminal activity, rather than a police interview, giving a Knighthood to a minister ( G Williamson ) sacked twice by the same Gov, and under pressure to do more, from allies, in a conflict that could turn into WW3. And all the while getting very very rich in the process, because that is all that matters.