News

Homes for Ukraine funding cut may ‘send wrong message’ – ex-defence secretary

26 Sep 2026 3 minute read

Vladimir Putin. Picture by the Presidential Press and Information Office

Abbie Llewelyn, Press Association Political Staff

UK Government cuts to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme may “send the wrong message to Putin” that the West is wavering in its support for Kyiv, a former defence secretary has said.

Monthly “thank-you” payments for people hosting Ukrainian refugees will be cut from £350 to £100 from January 1.

Funding to councils to support the programme will also be slashed from £5,900 per guest to £3,300 per arrival from the same date.

The scheme was launched after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has provided support for 181,000 of the 234,000 Ukrainians who have come to the UK to escape the war.

The UK Government has said its commitment to supporting Ukrainians is “unwavering”, and that the changes are designed to secure the long-term future of the scheme.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Tory former defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps claimed the Government “slipped out” its decision on September 15, and raised concerns it could be “misinterpreted” as London weakening its resolve.

He said: “Everyone accepts eventually that a scheme like this would come to an end.

“There won’t be that many new people coming over now, but there will be people who are here and are still housed in homes.

“The family that came and stayed with us, a three generation family, they stayed here at our own home with us for a year, and then they moved out and they rented themselves.

“Most of the Ukrainians who come across have been incredibly industrious.

“I accept that things will change over time. What worries me about this announcement is that it might inadvertently send the wrong message to (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin and others that the West is somehow wavering, that we’re losing interest, that our attention has gone elsewhere, which is the calculation that he has always wanted and tried to make, and and that would be the concern.”

He added: “I don’t like the way it’s been snuck out there.

“And I don’t like the way it could be misinterpreted as somehow perhaps London is weakening its resolve as far as Westminster is concerned, and that would be a problem.”

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “The UK’s commitment to supporting Ukrainians is unwavering, and the Homes for Ukraine scheme remains open.

“As the scheme has evolved from an initial emergency response into a more established programme, these changes are designed to secure the scheme’s long-term future while maintaining support for sponsors, guests and councils.”

Funding for unaccompanied minors will remain at current levels, which is £10,500 per arrival for local authorities in year one, and £6,100 for subsequent years.

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