Priti Patel has been slammed for refusing to waive visa requirements for Ukrainians trying to flee Russian invasion.
Speaking in the Commons on Monday, the Home Secretary said the government would relax visa rules to allow up to 100,000 Ukrainians the right to seek safety in Britain.
The Home Secretary announced that British nationals living in Ukraine will be able to apply for their relatives to come back to the UK with them, as will those Ukrainians living in the UK now.
But the move was dismissed as window-dressing as Patel refused to follow the lead of the EU and drop all visa requirements for Ukranians fleeing the Russian invasion.
SNP foreign affairs spokesman Alyn Smith told MPs: “The UK needs to waive visas, not flags.”
The European Union is preparing to allow Ukrainian’s the right to live and work in any country in the bloc for up to three years.
But Patel said welcoming all Ukrainian’s would threaten the UK “homeland”.
She said: “Over the weekend I have seen members of this House house calling for full visa waivers for all Ukrainians.
“Security and biometric checks are a fundamental part of our visa approval process worldwide and will continue.
“That is vital to keep British citizens safe and to ensure we helping those in genuine need - particularly as Russian troops are now infiltrating Ukraine and merging into Ukrainian forces."
“Intelligence reports also state the presence of extremist groups and organisations who threaten the region but also our domestic homeland.
“Security and biometric checks are a fundamental part of our visa approval process worldwide and will continue.
Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow Home Secretary, said the details of who could apply for safety in the UK remained “extremely unclear”.
Stuart McDonald, the SNP’s home affairs spokesperson, said the visa changes were confusing.
He said: “Why not do the simple thing, the just thing, and lift visa restrictions all together?”
In other developments:
- Foreign Secretary Liz Truss confirmed she would sanction a further three Russian banks in light of the invasion of Ukraine.
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- Boris Johnson spoke to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who asked for more anti-tank missiles.
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- Zelenskiy signed a request for Ukraine to join the European Union.
- Talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials ended at the Belarusian border and will continue in the coming days.
- French president, Emmanuel Macron spoke to Vladimir Putin and asked that for the duration of the negotiations all strikes and attacks on civilians and their homes would be halted.
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