Early evening summary
- Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has told MPs that Britons will face “some economic hardship” as a result of the sanctions being imposed on Russia. This has always been implicit in the announcements, but until now ministers have been reluctant to state this publicly. (See 3.45pm.)
- Boris Johnson is facing demands from 37 Tory MPs that Britain must go further in welcoming Ukrainians fleeing war after a backlash against the government’s refugee policy. In the Commons, Priti Patel, the home secretary, claimed that the various changes to visa rules announced for Ukrainians fleeing the war amounted to a “bespoke humanitarian route” for people to come to the UK and that 100,000 extra people should be able to benefit. (See 3.22pm.) But Patel was criticised for not announcing any further changes to the rules. (See 5.08pm.)
- Patel has been accused of misleading MPs about the generosity of her visa rules for Ukrainians. In the Commons she told Yvette Cooper, her Labour shadow, that a a 69-year-old Ukrainian woman, with a daughter living in the UK, would benefit as a result. (See 3.34pm.) But Cooper told MPs, on a point of order, a few minutes ago that she had subsequently found out that Patel was wrong, and that the woman would not benefit. She said that it was “totally confusing” and that Patel should correct the record.
That is all from me for today. But our Ukraine coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Updated
Scottish parliament to sell off Russian shares in its pension fund
The Scottish parliament has called on the firm which manages its pension funds, Baillie Gifford, to sell off all its Russian shares following the invasion of Ukraine.
Holyrood’s parliamentary corporate body and the presiding officer, Alison Johnstone, said they were distressed to learn after an information request by the Ferret, an investigative website, the fund had £230,000 worth of shares in the state-owned Russian bank, Sberbank.
Johnstone tweeted:
In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I have written to the Trustees of the Parliament’s pension scheme urging that all Russian shareholdings are divested immediately.
— Alison Johnstone (@POScotParl) February 28, 2022
You can read my letter in full at https://t.co/dpzQTy2uds pic.twitter.com/E2nqHdoaJI
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Economic crime bill not being fast-tracked as emergency legislation, Kwarteng says
In the Commons, Peter Bone (Con) has just complained that there will be no second reading of the economic crime bill tomorrow. He says he thought it was being fast-tracked as emergency legislation. Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, says that is not the case. He says the bill will be introduced tomorrow, but he says the second reading will come later.
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UK supplying Ukraine with military equipment 'almost daily', No 10 says
Downing Street said anti-tank missiles would be included in the new batch of military equipment being sent to Ukraine. Boris Johnson told President Zelenskiy more equipment was coming when they spoke this afternoon. (See 4.14pm.)
Commenting on the call, the PM’s spokesperson said:
They had a good conversation - they are speaking almost daily now, as you know.
In terms of the kit [the UK is sending to Ukraine], I can’t get into full details but it will include further anti-tank missiles and other equipment directly requested by President Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian government.
They didn’t in the call go through the list but from time to time President Zelenskiy asks for specific bits of kit or equipment and, whenever feasible, we are seeking to deliver it. And, as I say, we are almost up to daily deliveries now across the border.
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Downing Street said that Boris Johnson would be using a call with fellow G7 leaders this afternoon to see what more could be done to “further up the pressure” on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. The PM’s spokesman said:
The aim is to see what more we can do to dissuade Putin from continuing down this path.
You have seen how last week the EU, the US, the UK and many other countries came together with a strong sanctions package and other means.
The donors conference that [the defence secretary] Ben Wallace attended saw lots of countries who hadn’t previously done so commit to defensive military aid. We want to see more of that.
The prime minister will be talking about the need to go further on things like Swift and pushing for that.
Updated
Back in the Commons Andrew Mitchell, the Tory former international development secretary, says he welcome Kwarteng’s announcement. But he says he and other MPs have been campaigning for a register of beneficial ownership for years.
Margaret Hodge (Lab), who with Mitchell has been one of the MPs campaigning most strongly on this (the government dropped a bill in 2019 because Mitchell and Hodge were going to defeat them on this), says Brexit had nothing to do with this being delayed.
And she says she is “dismayed” that Kwarteng is just offering a white paper on Companies House.
Peers have defeated the government in demanding that relatives of exiled Chagos Islanders are entitled to British citizenship, PA Media reports. PA says:
The House of Lords backed by 237 votes to 154, majority 83, a move that would allow descendants of a person born before 1983 on the Chagos Islands to register as a British Overseas Territories citizen and as a British citizen.
The defeat came at report stage of the controversial nationality and borders bill.
Updated
Alison Thewliss, the SNP spokesperson on Treasury matters, says her party has also been calling for this legislation for years.
Kwarteng is replying to Malhotra.
On the subject of why the legislation has taken so long, he says during the 2017 to 2019 parliament a “huge amount of time” was taken by Labour MPs wanting to frustrate Brexit.
He says the crown dependencies will have to have greater transparency requirements anyway from next year.
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Seema Malhotra, the shadow buiness minister, says Labour backs these measures. But she says Labour has been calling for these laws for years.
She says the economic crime bill was first promised in 2016, and a draft of the legislation was ready in 2018.
She asks if the new register of overseas entities will be publicly available.
And she asks if the crown dependencies and overseas territories will be included.
Kwasi Kwarteng makes statement to MPs about economic crime
Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, is making a statement to MPs about economic crime.
He confirms that an economic crime bill will be introduced in parliament tomorrow. Here is our preview story explaining the key provisions.
Kwarteng also says the government is publishing a white paper on reforms to Companies House. Here is an extract from the briefing explaining what is being planned.
Anyone setting up, running, owning or controlling a company in the UK will need to verify their identity with Companies House;
Companies House will be given the power to challenge the information that appears dubious, and will be empowered to inform security agencies of potential wrongdoing;
Company agents from overseas will no longer be able to create companies in the UK on behalf of foreign criminals or secretive oligarchs;
The quality of information provided by companies to Companies House will be improved, so that the thousands of small companies who rely on it to make business decisions can trust who they are doing business with;
Filing processes for small businesses will be streamlined and digitalised; and
Company directors will be better able to protect personal information published by Companies House which might put them at risk of fraud or other harm.
Russian oil tanker banned from docking in Orkney Islands
Orkney Islands council has announced the Russian-owned oil tanker NS Champion has been banned from docking at Flotta oil terminal, which the council controls. The decision follows an announcement from Grant Shapps, the UK transport secretary, on Monday afternoon that no UK port should allow a Russian-owned or operator ship to berth. (See 4.57pm.)
James Stockan, the council leader, said:
Over the weekend, officers worked tirelessly to try and find a solution to the issue of the visiting tanker - in order to support the strength of feeling that is running not only in our community, but throughout our organisation too.
We welcomed the announcement this afternoon from the UK government’s secretary of state for transport - this was very much one of the avenues we have been exploring over the last few days. That announcement was followed by news from the ships agent that they were cancelling the visit.
This was a very complex, fast-moving situation - and we have ultimately achieved the best possible outcome. Our thanks go out to all that have contributed to this outcome but most of all sincere thanks to our incredible community as their role in this [should not be] underestimated.
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Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson, has criticised Priti Patel for not announcing any new easing of visa rules for Ukrainians when she spoke to MPs earlier. (See 3.22pm.) He said:
People across the UK are urging the government to stand with Ukrainians and offer them sanctuary. Yet all Priti Patel has done is repeated the prime minister’s vague and very limited announcement yesterday.
Ukrainians are fleeing for their lives. They deserve far better than just more spin and confusion from our government.
Shapps tells UK ports to ban Russian vessels
Councillors and officials in Orkney have privately welcomed approval from Grant Shapps, the UK transport secretary, for port operators around the UK to ban access to Russian-owned vessels in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Orkney Islands council has been pressing the UK government for authority to bar the Russian-owned oil tanker NS Champion from docking at Flotta oil terminal to take on a shipment of crude. Orcadians, including Ukrainians living on the islands, staged a demonstration in Kirkwall, the islands’ capital, on Saturday and urged ministers to ban the vessel.
Shapps issued a letter from the Department of Transport and Maritime and Coastguard Agency at 3.50pm time stating no Russian-owned or operated vessel would be allowed to use UK ports, in order to damage Russia’s economic interests.
Today I've written to all UK ports asking them not to provide access to any Russian flagged, registered, owned, controlled, chartered or operated vessels.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) February 28, 2022
Given Putin's action in #Ukraine I've made clear these vessels are NOT welcome here with prohibiting legislation to follow. pic.twitter.com/5pKzfvcbGi
The NS Champion had been due to dock at Flotta, an oil terminal, at 6pm on Tuesday evening, but Orkney council said on Monday afternoon that had been pushed back to 8am on Wednesday. Meanwhile another Russian tanker delivering supplies from Primorsk in Russia was in port at Milford Haven in Wales. The Pluto had arrived in the UK on 26 February.
A source in Orkney council, which has now seen Shapps letter, said:
We’ve spent all weekend exploring every possible option open to us [to bar the NS Champion from docking]. No stone has been left unturned. So this is good news, as far as we’re concerned.
Sturgeon says Ukrainians should be allowed sanctuary in UK without needing visas
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has called for Ukrainians wanting to flee to the UK to be allowed to enter the country without a visa. On a visit to Aberdeen she said:
I am calling on the prime minister, I am appealing to the prime minister to follow the example of Ireland, follow the example of the entire European Union and have a situation, effectively, where anyone from Ukraine who is seeking refuge in the UK is allowed entry to the UK with no visa requirements, and the paperwork can be sorted later on.
The position announced by the prime minister last night restricting that kind of approach not even just to family members of people already here but to immediate family members, is woefully inadequate.
Sturgeon was speaking before Priti Patel, the home secretary, told MPs that she thought dropping the visa requirements would be a security risk. (See 3.26pm.)
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A theatre in Buckinghamshire has cancelled upcoming performances by the Russian State Ballet company, adding that it is “shocked and appalled” by the escalating conflict, PA Media reports. PA says:
The Wycombe Swan theatre said it would “stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine” following the invasion of their country.
Upcoming productions of Romeo And Juliet, Cinderella and Swan Lake between March 10 and 12 have been cancelled at the Buckinghamshire theatre.
It comes after theatres in Wolverhampton and Northampton also called off productions by the Russian Ballet company.
Russian State Ballet Statement (28/02/2022) pic.twitter.com/FxYtf5BA1i
— Wycombe Swan (@wycombeswan) February 28, 2022
Back in the Commons, Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, says the government will be launcing a public appeal to encourage people to donate to support the humanitarian relief effort for Ukraine.
Johnson urged by Tory MPs to do more for Ukrainian refugees
Boris Johnson is facing demands from 37 Tory MPs that Britain must go further in welcoming Ukrainians fleeing war after a backlash against the government’s refugee policy, my colleagues Jessica Elgot and Rajeev Syal report.
Johnson tells Zelenskiy UK sending more military support imminently
Boris Johnson has spoken to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy this afternoon, and he said the UK would be sending more military support to Ukraine imminently. In a readout from the call, a No 10 spokesperson said:
The president updated the prime minister on the Ukrainian resistance to the ongoing Russian invasion. The prime minister commended his bravery and that of the Ukrainian people.
The leaders categorically condemned the barbaric airstrikes being carried out by Russia against innocent civilians, including children.
The prime minister updated President Zelenskiy on UK military support being sent to Ukraine, and committed to sending more in the coming hours and days.
Downing Street has refused to give details of the military support currently being supplied to Ukraine.
Updated
Lubov Chernukhin, a major donor to the Conservative party and the wife of a former Russian deputy finance minister, has issued a statement condemning Vladmir Putin’s “despotic regime” and his “military aggression in Ukraine”, the Telegraph’s Christopher Hope reports.
And via @christopherhope here is massive Tory donor Lubov Chernukhin: "I support the UK Government’s decisive response to Russia’s actions and I call for the strongest possible sanctions against Putin’s regime and its enablers." pic.twitter.com/HeXtln8kfz
— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) February 28, 2022
Truss says officials 'working through the night' to draw up sanctions against oligarchs
Truss says Foreign Office officials are “working through the night” to draw up sanctions against individual oligarchs. She says extra lawyers have been hired, and the size of the sanctions department has tripled.
David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, is responding to Truss. He says he welcomes the steps being taken against Russian banks. But he says the government has still not imposed sanctions on the members of the Duma who have backed President Putin.
Truss says her second measure will ban hi-tech exports to Russia, such as micro electronics, marine and navigation equipment. She says this will “act as a drag on Russia’s economy for years to come”.
Echoing what she said in an interview yesterday, she also says she will continue to use sanctions against individual oligarchs.
She says the war could last for months or years. But Britain and its allies are willing to make economic sacrifices to support Ukraine.
Updated
Truss says announces measures against Russian banks
Truss says she is introducing two economic measures to hit the Russian economy.
First, she will introduce new powers to be used against the Russian financial sector. Their banks will not be allowed to make clearing payment in sterling, she says.
She says, as soon as it is available, she will use this against Russia’s biggest bank, Sberbank.
She says she will also impose a full asset freeze on three Russian banks. This will prevent them from raising debt here, she says.
This will isolate Russian companies, she says. Three million of them will not be able to raise capital in London.
Updated
Truss warns Britons they will face 'some economic hardship' as a result of sanctions on Russia
Truss says the rouble has fallen by 40% in value, and the Russian stock market has been closed.
But she says people in Britain will face some hardship as a result of the sanctions.
The UK and our allies will have to undergo some economic hardship as a result of our sanctions. But our hardships are nothing compared to those endured by the people of Ukraine.
This is implicit in what has been announced in recent days, but until now it is not something that ministers have wanted to talk about.
Updated
Liz Truss's statement to MPs on sanctions
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, is making a statement to MPs on sanctions.
She says, as of today, President Putin has not taken any major cities.
Putin expected to take cities quickly. He expected Ukraine to retreat and he expected the west to be divided. Instead, his forces were met by the heroic heroism of President Zelenskiy and the resolute determination of the Ukrainian people, he has been met by a united west. Together with our friends around the world, we have taken decisive action.
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Patel also told MPs that the UK was pushing for Russia to be removed from Interpol.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, says Patel wants Ukrainians to use existing visa procedures that are not suitable. She asks about a case highlighted by the Guardian, involving a 69-year-old woman, with a daughter living in the UK, unable to come to the UK without having to pay a visa fee because she does not meet the very tight criteria. Will she able to come to the UK safely?
Yes, says Patel.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, reprimands the home secretary for spending too long on her statement. He says she should have made a formal Commons statement on this, which would have allowed questions for an hour, instead of dealing with this in the final few minutes of Home Office questions.
Updated
Patel claims waiving visa requirements for Ukrainians would pose security risk
Patel says some MPs are calling for visa waivers for Ukrainians.
But she says she will not agree to that. She says biometric checks are an essential part of the system. She says, on the basis of security advice, they need to stay. She says Russians are infiltrating Ukrainian forces, and she says extremist groups are active in the war zone.
Updated
Patel claims 100,000 extra Ukrainians will be able to come to UK as a result of policy changes
Priti Patel, the home secretary, is now on the topical questions phase of Home Office questions, and she is talking about the proposals for Ukrainians wanting to come to the UK.
She summarises the rules in place.
Some requirements and salary threshold have already been lowered, she says.
She says an extra 100,000 Ukrainians will be able to come to the UK as a result of her changes.
Updated
Immigration minister Kevin Foster refuses to apologise for saying Ukrainians can apply for seasonal worker's visa
During Home Office questions in the Commons Stephen Kinnock, the shadow immigration minister, asked the immigration minister Kevin Foster to apologise for the tweet he posted on Saturday saying Ukrainians wanting to come to the UK had the option of applying for a seasonal worker’s visa. That tweet “was the modern day equivalent of ‘Let them eat cake’,” Kinnock claimed.
Foster refused to apologise. He said the home secretary, Priti Patel, would be saying more shortly, and he implied Kinnock’s approach contrasted unfavourably with the Scottish government’s, with whom he had had a “constructive conversation” on Friday, he said.
Updated
Updated
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has criticised the Kremlin for suggesting that Liz Truss is responsible for President Putin deciding to put his nuclear forces on alert. (See 12.37pm.)
Whatever political disagreements any of us have with Liz Truss - and I have many deep differences with her - we should not fall for this transparent Russian attempt to divert. The only person responsible for Putin’s despicable nuclear threat is Putin. https://t.co/x1iz7zLnsM
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) February 28, 2022
Johnson wants war in Ukraine to bring down Putin's regime, No 10 suggests
Here are the main points from the Downing Street lobby briefing.
- The prime minister’s spokeman suggested that Boris Johnson wants the war in Ukraine to lead to the downfall of President Putin. This may seem obvious, but it is not something that ministers have said publicly. (As anyone who remembers the Iraq war will remember, setting regime change as policy is a significant act, with consequences in international law.) Talking about the impact of all the anti-Russia measures being taken, the spokesman said:
The United Kingdom, the prime minister, is very clear that we do not want to unnecessarily inflict damage on the Russian people, many of whom are bravely taking to the streets to protest this violence, this invasion.
But the measures we’re introducing, that large parts of the world are introducing, are to bring down the Putin regime, and we think anyone who is actively seeking to support any elements of the Putin regime should think very carefully.
But when asked specifically if bringing down Putin was a goal of policy, the spokesman (who has a reputation for being careful with his language) retracted the suggestion. “We are not seeking anything in terms of regime change,” he said.
- The spokesman suggested the PM wanted City law firms to stop doing business with Russian state-owned companies. He said:
The prime minister’s view is that Putin’s regime, and Putin, must be treated like a pariah state and businesses should think very carefully if they are still continuing to do anything that props up the Putin regime.
These are from Times Radio’s Tom Newton Dunn.
Strong words from No10 to UK law firms + banks still working for Kremlin-run companies like Gazprom and Rosneft after BP’s withdrawal. PM’s spokesman: “Businesses should think very carefully if they’re still doing anything that even inadvertently props up a client regime”.
— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) February 28, 2022
Unless City firms walk away, Government may enforce a ban on any interaction with Russian state-controlled companies, No10 suggests. “We’re keeping all options under review. No one should be supporting or propping up the regime in any way”.
— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) February 28, 2022
- Johnson will tomorrow travel to Poland and Estonia for meetings with his counterparts and the Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, on Tuesday, the spokesman said.
- The spokesman said Priti Patel, the home secretary, will give “more detail” of measures to help Ukrainian refugees wanting to come to the UK in the Commons this afternoon, the spokesman said.
- The spokesman said up to 100,000 Ukrainians with British national relatives could come to the UK under the measures already announced.
- The spokesman refused to back Liz Truss’s claim that it was acceptable for Britons to travel to Ukraine to fight against Russia. (See 1.35pm.)
- The spokesman said the immigration minister Kevin Foster was wrong to post a message on Twitter on Saturday saying Ukrainians wanting to escape to the UK could get a fruit picker’s visa. Asked about the tweet, the spokesperson said:
I think that tweet was rightly deleted, I think the UK has a proud history of supporting those in need. We’ve done that with Afghanistan and elsewhere and we will continue to do that.
Here is the tweet.
this was deleted pic.twitter.com/lusNL9Mfgi
— Jim Pickard (@PickardJE) February 26, 2022
- The spokesman dismissed the Kremlin’s critcism of Truss this morning (see 12.37pm) as a distraction exercise. Asked for a response, he said:
It remains the case that the rhetoric we are seeing from Putin’s regime is designed to distract from the situation on the ground.
- Johnson told cabinet this morning that Putin had made a “colossal mistake” with the invasion, the spokesman said. Giving a readout from cabinet, he said:
The prime minister said it is becoming clearer with each day that Putin had made a colossal mistake believing that the guns of his tanks would be garlanded with roses when instead the Ukrainian people had put up a fierce resistance in defence of their homeland.
He said latest intelligence suggested Putin’s advances had been hampered by logistical problems and the heroic efforts of the Ukrainian military who are inflicting significant casualties on Russian troops.
Updated
An unnamed ally of Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has dismissed the Kremlin’s attempt to blame her for President Putin putting his nuclear forces on alert as an attempt to distract attention from what is happening in Ukraine. (See 12.37pm.) The “ally” told PA Media:
Nothing Liz has said warrants that sort of escalation. It’s clearly designed to distract from the situation on the ground in Ukraine.
The foreign secretary has always talked about Nato in the context of it being a defensive alliance. Her point is that we stand by article 5, and that we must do everything we can to help Ukraine short of putting boots on the ground.
We take it very seriously and want to keep the situation calm.
It has been quite a morning for Truss. Both No 10 (see 1.35pm) and the Kremlin have been briefing against her.
Updated
Evgeny Lebedev, the former KGB agent’s son who owns the Evening Standard and who was given a peerage by Boris Johnson, has used a column in his paper to urge President Putin to stop the war.
As my colleague Peter Walker points out, in his article Lebedev refers to it as a conflict, not an invasion.
Evening Standard owner/Boris Johnson-created peer Evgeny Lebedev uses his newspaper to appeal to Putin to "bring this terrible conflict in Ukraine to an end". Yet again, it's not a "conflict". It's an invasion.https://t.co/PXDKgRNMeX pic.twitter.com/mFr6WCtrrv
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) February 28, 2022
These are from the Times’s Steven Swinford on today’s cabinet.
Boris Johnson told Cabinet this morning that Vladimir Putin has 'grossly miscalculated' and made a 'huge strategic error
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) February 28, 2022
He said he's been caught out in a 'colossal lie' to the Russian people and Russian troops that he would be able to overcome Ukraine quite easily
Rishi Sunak gave a briefing to Cabinet on the impact of sanctions and the collapse of the Rouble
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) February 28, 2022
He said sanctions are 'extremely significant' and interest rates have doubled
Johnson said that 'the Rouble has fallen out of bed'
Most interesting moment of Cabinet:
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) February 28, 2022
Boris Johnson said there will a price for the British people in inflicting 'pain' on Putin as oil and gas prices rise
He said we have to be prepared to take pain ourselves but that it's as nothing compared to suffering of Ukrainian people
Last week, on the day invasion started, Boris Johnson was reluctant to admit that it would involve to accept that British consumers would pay a price in his TV address to the nation.
No 10 slaps down Truss, saying Britons should not travel to Ukraine to fight, but can give money instead
The Downing Street lobby briefing has just finished, and it saw the PM’s spokesman slap down Liz Truss’s suggestion that it would be acceptable for Britons to go to Ukraine to join the fight against the Russians. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, distanced himself from what Truss said in interviews this morning, but No 10 effectively said she was wrong.
Asked if Britons should go abroad to fight, the spokesman said:
We think that the best way that we can help Ukraine right now is by ensuring that Putin fails.
There are a number of ways that Brits can show their support for that. The Ukrainian embassy in London is putting out information about how.
That is a reference to this appeal.
Please, donate to the account below:https://t.co/MFZaDOXcav
— Ukraine's Emb. to UK (@UkrEmbLondon) February 25, 2022
When asked if Truss had gone too far in her commnts, the spokesman pointed out that the Foreign Office’s own website says people should not go to Ukraine. He said:
We fully the strength of feeling about British people wanting to support the Ukrainians following the Russian invasion. There is advice up on travel to Ukraine and we currently advise against travel to Ukraine, as you will see from the website.
The website says Britons are advised “to leave Ukraine immediately” and, in another section, it says Britons going to Ukraine to fight could be breaking the law.
If you travel to eastern Ukraine to fight, or to assist others engaged in the conflict, your activities may amount to offences against UK terrorism or other legislation and you could be prosecuted on your return to the UK.
Yesterday Truss says she would support Britons going to Ukraine to join the fight against Ukraine in three separate interviews. Asked if she favoured the idea, she told the BBC:
I do support that. And of course that is something that people can make their own decisions about. They are fighting, the people of Ukraine are fighting for freedom and democracy, not just for Ukraine but for the whole of Europe, because that is what President Putin is challenging. And absolutely, if people want to support that struggle I would support them in doing that.
I will post more from the briefing shortly.
Updated
Primary school pupils with long Covid more likely to have mental disorder, ONS says
Primary-school-aged children with long Covid are significantly more likely to have a mental disorder than those without, PA Media reports. PA says:
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found pupils from reception to year 7 suffering long-term effects of the virus were 30% more likely to have at least one probable mental illness.
Parents across the country were sent questions to answer on behalf of their children, with around 1% of primary school pupils estimated to meet the Delphi criteria for long Covid.
The Delphi method defines long Covid as being present if symptoms affecting everyday life continue over a 12-week period or longer.
A total of 8% of primary-school-aged pupils were found to have a probable mental disorder and a further 7.6% had a possible mental disorder, according to the figures.
About 30% of children with long Covid presented with a probable mental illness compared with 7.7% without long Covid.
Updated
Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, has also posted a useful thread on Twitter summarising the impact of the war in Ukraine on UK energy security, and what the government is doing about it.
Please read: thread on energy security 🧵
— Kwasi Kwarteng (@KwasiKwarteng) February 28, 2022
The North Sea is our single largest source of gas, with the bulk of our imports coming from reliable Norway.
Unlike Europe, we're not reliant on Russian gas.
But like others, we are vulnerable to high prices set by markets.
(1/9)
Updated
There will be two statement in the Commons this afternoon. At 3.30pm Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, will make a statement on sanctionss, and at around 4.30pm Kwasi Kwarteng, the businesss secretary, will make a statement on the economic crime bill.
Last night the government gave details of the economic crime (transparency and enforcement) bill that will be introduced into parliament this week. (But it is not due to get its second reading this week, the government was briefing last night. It is not being fast-tracked as emergency legislation.) Here is my story about the bill.
Kremlin claims Truss's comments on Nato/Russia clashes led to Putin putting nuclear forces on alert
The Kremlin has claimed that President Putin’s decision to put Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert was taken in response to comments from Liz Truss, the foreign secretary. The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told a press briefing:
Statements were made by various representatives at various levels on possible altercations or even collisions and clashes between Nato and Russia.
We believe that such statements are absolutely unacceptable.
I would not call the authors of these statements by name, although it was the British foreign minister.
Putin’s decision came yesterday morning. Perhaps he had been reading Truss’s interview in the Sunday Times (paywall) in which she warned of the possibility of a confrontation between Russia and Nato (but using language that did not go beyond what ministers have said many times in the past). She said:
Putin himself has made it very clear that he wants to turn the clock back to the mid-1990s, if not before, when huge swathes of eastern Europe were controlled by Russia.
It is my very real fear that he won’t stop at Ukraine, that he aspires to gain wider control over what he sees as greater Russia. I speak to my Baltic counterparts a lot and of course they are very concerned ...
We will stand by our Nato allies, that is completely sacrosanct. But what we have to do is stop it getting to that point. That’s why it’s so important that we stop Putin’s ambitions in Ukraine. He must fail.
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MSPs and Scottish government ministers have called for the Russian consul general in Edinburgh, Andrey Yakovlev, to be expelled from the UK. Paul Sweeney, a Scottish Labour MSP, has tabled a motion at Holyrood calling for expulsion. “It is increasingly clear that every one of us must do everything we can to send a message to Russia that their actions have consequences,” Sweeney said.
The UK government has so far resisted calls for the Russian ambassador in London to be expelled, on the grounds that it is helpful for London to be able to communicate directly with someone influential with the ear of the Kremlin.
Updated
The Scottish government is donating £4m in financial aid to the relief agencies working in Ukraine and additional medical supplies including anaesthetic machines, syringe pumps and bandages.
Officials in the devolved government are talking to aid agencies about the quickest route to deliver the money, which could increase later. The medical supplies, including medicines, were chosen from a list of emergency materials supplied by the Ukrainian consulate in Edinburgh, in coordination with other UK governments.
Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, said:
Scotland has given its unqualified support for Ukrainian independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and to the people of Ukraine as they bravely resist the unprovoked and illegal aggression of the Russian regime.
As a responsible and compassionate global citizen we will help with an initial £4m in financial aid to provide essential help to those in desperate need.
Scottish officials are considering supporting a fund-raising appeal organised by the United Nations. António Guterres, the UN secretary general, said it would launch an appeal on Tuesday to fund its humanitarian operations in Ukraine. The UN expects it will need more than $1bn (£890m) over the next three months, the government said.
Yesterday the UK government announced it was contributing £40m in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, to pay for medical equipment and other basic necessities.
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In a thread on Twitter, Rob Ford, the politics professor and co-author of Brexitland, a book explaining the attitudinal shifts (including on immigration) that led to Brexit, says that the public may be much more supportive of opening the borders to Ukrainian refugees than people (like Priti Patel?) assume. It starts here.
A short thread on where British public are on immigration and refugees in general, and refugees from Ukraine in particular. TL;DR - public are much more open to accepting refugees than govt seems to think. Current half hearted policy does not reflect what voters want
— Rob Ford 💙💛 (@robfordmancs) February 28, 2022
And here is one of Ford’s conclusions.
Our government is now an outlier in offering only limited and conditional support. The public were already in favour of a more generous response at the start of the crisis. Shifts elsewhere are likely to reinforce that. So is intensification of the conflict.
— Rob Ford 💙💛 (@robfordmancs) February 28, 2022
The Mirror’s Pippa Crerar says Priti Patel, the home secretary, may announce in the Commons later that the Home Office will apply a wider definition of close relative when operating the scheme allowing Ukrainians related to British nationals to seek sanctuary in the UK.
Under the proposals published last night, only spouses, unmarried partners of at least two years, parents or their children if one is under 18, or adult relatives who are also carers were included.
Expect to hear more on this later - possibly fr Priti Patel at Home Office questions.
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) February 28, 2022
I understand there are plans afoot to extend the scheme to wider family - elderly parents, adult children, siblings etc.
But unlikely to go as far as EU's visa waiver for security reasons... https://t.co/7O3MF8SuZK
Labour is calling for a wholesale ban on Russia taking part in international sporting and cultural events. Lucy Powell, the shadow culture secretary, said:
The international response to Putin’s aggression must include exclusion from sporting and cultural events. From participation in the forthcoming World Cup to the touring Russian Ballet Company, the international response should be swift and categoric.
Putin has turned Russia into a pariah state, and sporting and cultural governing bodies should take strong action to recognise this fact, led by governments.
Individual clubs or nations shouldn’t have to decide themselves to boycott events. The government must act to strengthen consequences further and hit Russia and Putin where it hurts. Government ministers should hit the phones and agree a clear international boycott of sports and cultural participation. Russia needs to feel the consequences of its illegal war on Ukraine.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is trying to broker a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine, PA Media reports. PA says:
The Russian-Israeli billionaire has come under pressure to speak out following the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s forces.
There have been calls in parliament for him to face sanctions as a major oligarch “with links to the Russian state”.
A spokesman for the Chelsea owner said: “I can confirm that Roman Abramovich was contacted by the Ukrainian side for support in achieving a peaceful resolution, and that he has been trying to help ever since.
“Considering what is at stake, we would ask for your understanding as to why we have not commented on neither the situation as such nor his involvement.”
Abramovich’s involvement followed a request from the Ukrainian film producer Alexander Rodnyansky.
There were no further details about his role, although it was acknowledged his influence was “limited”.
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Tom Tugendhat, a former soldier and the Conservative chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, also told the Today programme this morning that President Putin’s decision to put his nuclear forces on high alert did not fundamentally alter the threat. He explained:
The Russian military doctrine doesn’t work in the same way as the Nato military doctrine. They do assume that they may use battlefield nuclear weapons and they see them as just a, if you’ll excuse the expression, a bigger bang. They don’t treat fallout in the same way we do.
Tugendhat said the situation was “concerning”. But h went on:
That said, Russia has frequently threatened nuclear deployments in the past. This is not unusual but at the same time it is concerning and it is not impossible a Russian military order to use battlefield nuclear weapons could be given.
According to ConservativeHome, which conducts regular surveys of readers who are Tory members, which are seen as reliable guides to party opinion, Conservative members who think the partygate scandal is not important to voters now outnumber those who do think it is important by almost two to one. In December a majority of members thought it was important.
Paul Goodman, the ConservativeHome editor, says there is now no prospect of Boris Johnson facing a leadership challenge while the Ukraine crisis continues.
Wallace says Russian invasion likely to become more violent, with 'horrific' casualties possible
And here are some more line from Ben Wallace’s interviews this morning.
- Wallace, the defence secretary, said Russian invasion of Ukraine was likely to become more violent, with “horrific” casualty levels possible. He said:
They are behind schedule, they are taking significant casualties and they are feeling public rejection in parts of the Russian system itself; we’ve seen many protests.
But the Russian handbook is to then get more violent and commit more forces because fundamentally in the Russian, sort of, doctrine the lives of their own soldiers matter much less than in other armed forces.
So we have to brace ourselves for what may come next, which could be ruthless, indiscriminate bombing of cities and propelling forward of soldiers and high casualty levels, and that’s going to be horrific.
- Wallace described Putin’s decision to put his nuclear deterrent on high alert as “rhetoric”. It did not fundamentally change the threat, he implied. He said:
We don’t see or recognise in the sort of phrase or the status he described as anything that is a change to what they have currently as their nuclear posture. This is predominantly about Putin putting it on the table just to remind people, remind the world, that he has a deterrent ...
At the moment this is a battle of rhetoric that President Putin is deploying, and we just have to make sure we manage it properly.
Wallace also said that, after Putin’s announcement, his 12-year-old son had asked if it meant there would be nuclear war. Asked how he replied, Wallace told LBC:
Well, Dad says, no, we’re not going to have a nuclear war. What I’ve said to him is, look, President Putin is dealing at the moment in a rhetoric. He wants to distract from what’s gone wrong in Ukraine and he wants us all to be reminded that he has a nuclear deterrent.
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UK could end up accepting Ukrainians fleeing war for up to three years, senior Tory suggests
Tom Tugendhat, the Conservative chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, told the Today programme this morning that he thought the government would end up following the EU policy and allowing Ukrainians fleeing the war to stay for up to three years. Asked if he thought the announcement from the PM last night went far enough, he said it didn’t. He told the programme:
I’ve been speaking to ministers this morning and I can tell you there are many who are hopeful that this will be something that’s reviewed in the coming days.
Asked about the EU’s announcement that member countries would grant asylum to Ukrainian refugees for up to three years, he replied:
I suspect that’s likely to be where we end up to be honest. I think there’s a definite opportunity to be generous.
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Minister suggests visa rules for Ukrainians fleeing war to be further eased
Good morning. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, was batting for the government on TV and radio this morning and he had the awkward job of tidying up policy difficulties left by his colleagues over the weekend.
First, UK immigration policy for Ukrainians fleeing the war and seeking refuge in this country. Downing Street announced a new approach last night, but when the Home Office published the small print a bit later, it turned out to be very minimal. Labour called the announcement “shameful”. This morning Wallace implied that this was just a first step, and that more would be done. He told Sky News:
The first step is to make sure that Ukrainians who have family here – either settled or dual nationals – that they can come and join them.
But the second step we will look at [is] about what we do with the refugee flows across the board.
In the light of the reaction to last night’s announcement, and developments in the EU, the government may well end up doing more. But that is not what the Home Office was telling journalists to expect last night.
Second, government policy on Britons wanting to travel to Ukraine to join the fight against the Russians. Yesterday Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, was criticised for saying she would support people wanting to do this. This morning Wallace did not exactly disown her, but he claimed that she was not advising people without military training to volunteer (Truss did not make that distinction in her interviews) and he said her main point was that the war was a “just cause”. He also said there were better ways to help Ukraine. He said:
If you’re keen to help and you’re a United Kingdom citizen, come and join our armed forces ...
What I would say is unless you are properly trained, unless you are a, you know, experienced member of [the] armed forces, I think there are better ways for you to contribute to the security of Ukraine.
I will post more from Wallace’s interviews shortly.
Mostly today I will be focusing on UK reaction to the war in Ukraine, but I will also be covering some non-Ukraine politics too. Here is the agenda for the day.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
2.30pm: Priti Patel, the home secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
After 3.30pm: MPs debate the Lords amendments to the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill.
4pm: Neil O’Brien, the levelling up minister, and Andy Haldane, the former Bank of England economist who is head of the levelling up taskforce, give evidence to the Commons levelling up committee about the levelling up white paper.
For full coverage of the war in Ukraine, and a global perspective, do read our separate live blog. It’s here.
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Alternatively, you can email me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com.
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