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Category: Attack on Ukraine

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (12/03/2022)

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (12/03/2022)

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 12 March 2022.

    Greetings to all friends of Ukraine!

    Greetings to all friends of Europe, all friends of freedom!

    I know that there are over a hundred thousand of you all over the world today. More than a hundred thousand in the squares of different cities. We, Ukrainians, are grateful for this. And now I ask each of you to remember one number in each square… 79.

    You will understand what this means. I will tell you now what it means for our lives, for each of us. I will tell all one hundred thousand and millions who will hear us afterwards.

    We are experiencing a terrible war in Ukraine. Europe has not seen such a war since World War II. We did not start this war. This is a brutal and cynical Russian invasion of Ukrainian land. This is a war against the Ukrainian people – against peaceful and sincere people, whom I am sure you have known very well during the years of our independence.

    And you saw that we are very similar to you. We equally value freedom. We equally value equality. We equally want to live. We just want to live.

    We equally want only the best, the brightest for our children, for our families. But now we and you live differently.

    Now when the war is going on and thousands of people have died in it! And 79 children have died in it. 79 children!

    I’m sure each of you has photos of your loved ones. At home or just on the phone so you can watch when your heart asks for that. Photos of children, photos of parents. Photos of your loved ones.

    We don’t even realize it, but we always know that these photos are not the last.

    Because we believe that we will see how those who are dearest to us will live. We’ll see how happy our loved ones are. How our children grow up, how they go to university, how they work. How they have their children. And then we will play with our grandchildren. Meet them after school, have dinner together.

    Everyone in the millions lives with that hope. Hope for a truly peaceful life.

    For new photos, new memories, new moments of happiness, which our state, Ukraine, is deprived of now.

    While the war continues, we are in fundamentally different conditions with you. When you can be sure that you and your loved ones have a long future ahead, a normal future. And we want that. And we are happy for you.

    And for us, what we have may be the last time. Just one last time. Today and never again. As for 79 Ukrainian children. 79 Ukrainian families. Destroyed by this shameful war – the invasion of Russia. 79 families who have lost the most valuable, but who are still forced to fight. They are forced to pull themselves up and survive. And fight. Fight for a future that is over for them. In those photos of 79 children killed in the war.

    And what should we do… All of us – the Ukrainian people, Europeans – so that this number 79 does not change, does not grow. And so that Europe does not forget Ukraine-79.

    Russian troops besiege Ukrainian cities. They are trying to destroy them. Imagine! Entire cities! In 2022! In Europe.

    Our Mariupol, the largest Ukrainian city on the coast of the Sea of Azov, is under complete blockade. It is bombed around the clock. Russian troops drop air bombs on it and fire missiles. They even bombed a maternity hospital and a children’s hospital in Mariupol…

    This is hatred of all mankind. They kill children and destroy maternity hospitals and children’s hospitals. Why? So that Ukrainian women don’t even give birth?

    And this is all over our country, all over Ukraine, which is suffering from the Russian invasion.

    They have already destroyed dozens of hospitals, hundreds of schools and kindergartens. They are destroying universities. Completely destroying residential areas with carpet bombing. Imagine what it is! And how to survive in this? What does it mean for Ukrainians, for our families, for our children? What does it mean when you can’t find peace even in church. Because aviation bombs even churches!

    Even squares… The same squares as yours… Where you are listening to me now. They bombed the square in our city of Kharkiv – Freedom Square. This is the largest square in Europe, which is no different from your squares. Except that it is destroyed. Destroyed by a Russian missile strike.

    I am constantly asked in interviews: how can Europe help Ukraine?

    I formulate the question differently, namely: how can Europe help itself?

    Because this is a war not only against our people, not only against Ukrainians. This is a war against the values that unite us. Against our ability to live. Live, not kill like the Russian military on our land.

    Do you feel why we are different from them? We live. And they kill. We are 79 lives. And they are 79 deaths.

    I am sure that you want to stop the war just like every Ukrainian.

    That is why my answer about the help that is needed for Ukraine sounds logical, natural to millions of people in democracies. You need to put pressure.

    Such sanctions against Russia are needed so that every Russian soldier knows the price of every shot at civilians. We need such principles of European business that the Russian state does not have the money to ruin lives.

    Put pressure on the companies in your countries to leave Russia, so that you are not indirect sponsors of this war and tragedy.

    Tell your politicians to close the sky over Ukraine from Russian missiles and planes. From those who killed 79 children and thousands of adults! Thousands in 17 days…

    All this will protect us. We are just like you. Absolutely the same! You know that. You feel it. You see me and you understand all this.

    And you know that we must be together in the European community. This is extremely important for Ukraine. And this is very important for you, for Europe. Because this will strengthen Europe. This will protect Europe. This will stop the war forever. This will prove that the 79 lives taken in the war for freedom have not been lost in vain. That they are alive. That they live among us. And they are among other children of Ukraine and Europe, who will be able to be free, will be able to dream, will be able to just live as they want. In peace. And not to be afraid that they may be killed. And not to look for the nearest air bomb shelter. Just as you are not looking for it – each of the hundred thousand in the squares of European cities that are listening to me now. And just as millions who, I’m sure, will hear me.

    Hear about Ukraine-79. About Ukraine-2022. About Ukraine, which seeks peace. And about Europe, for which it is time to choose.

    Choose Ukraine.

    For the sake of peace!

    For the sake of all of us.

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (12/03/2022)

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (12/03/2022)

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 12 March 2022.

    Brave people of the unconquered country!

    From the very morning in the Ukrainian – forever Ukrainian – Melitopol people, our citizens, gathered for the regular protest action against the Russian troops.

    Against the attempts to put the city to its knees. More than two thousand people in the square.

    Do you hear it, Moscow?

    If 2,000 people are protesting against the occupation in Melitopol, how many people should be in Moscow against the war? To make it fair. Yesterday the invaders captured the mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov. The city community is demanding his release. And this is very important.

    I am grateful to every Melitopol resident for this resistance, for this position. The invaders must see that they are strangers on our land, on all our land of Ukraine, and they will never be accepted.

    Throughout the night and today we constantly talk to our partners about this situation with our mayor. The demand is simple – to release him from captivity immediately.

    We appeal to all world leaders who speak to Moscow. France, Germany, Israel and others.

    I have personally called German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. I spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron.

    I will talk to everyone to free our people.

    We expect them, the world leaders, to show how they can influence the situation. How they can do a simple thing – free one person. A person who represents the entire Melitopol community, Ukrainians who do not give up.

    Our Armed Forces are doing everything to deprive the enemy of any desire to continue the war against Ukraine. The losses of Russian troops are enormous.

    The dynamics of the invaders’ losses on the 17th day is such that it is safe to say that this is the biggest blow to the Russian army in decades. They’ve never lost more than that in such a time period.

    Since the beginning of the invasion, 31 battalion tactical groups of the enemy have lost their combat capability. The Russian militaries are being taken prisoners not just alone, but in groups. Groups are trying to leave Ukraine and come back to Russia as well.

    The losses of the invaders in technical capabilities are simply astounding. More than 360 tanks. 1205 armored vehicles. And that’s without counting the losses in the battles this night and in the morning.

    Already almost 60 planes. More than 80 helicopters. Hundreds and hundreds of units of other equipment, including the most modern models, of which Russia is proud.

    Most of the world’s armies do not have as much as Russian troops lost during the invasion.

    Ukrainians!

    I want you to understand me correctly.

    We have had extraordinary success. The resistance of the entire Ukrainian people against these invaders has already gone down in history. But we have no right to reduce the intensity of defense. No matter how difficult it is. We have no right to reduce the energy of resistance. The enemy is bringing new and new columns to the territory of Ukraine. They are looking everywhere for fighters. Reservists. Conscripts. Mercenaries.

    They are trying to take us with numbers. The number of fighters, the number of equipment. They use terror to break our faith in victory and in Ukraine.

    I’m sure they won’t succeed. It will not work for them. But in order for them not to succeed, we still have to fight. We still need to be focused. All of us, all Ukrainians, still need to continue to focus on defense. Work together.

    Without internal split. Supporting each other. All over the country. From Uzhhorod to Melitopol. From Chernihiv to Mariupol. From Lviv to Kharkiv.

    Just like we all have been doing for 17 days of the war.

    Today we again sent humanitarian aid to Mariupol. We will try every day to save our people.

    I am grateful to every driver who tries to accomplish this difficult mission.

    I am grateful to the representatives of the church who joined the efforts to protect the humanitarian corridor in Mariupol from shelling.

    Ukrainian troops, for their part, guarantee complete “silence” along the entire route so that Mariupol receives food, water and medicine. And so that the civilians of Mariupol can go to a safe area.

    Humanitarian corridors from Makariv, Borodyanka, Trostyanets, Sumy, Poltava, Lebedyn, Konotop, Velyka Pysarivka, Krasnopillya, Polohy, Tokmak, Hostomel, Kozarovychi, Mykulychi and Andriivka of the Kyiv region have also been prepared.

    The Russian side must ensure “silence” on each of these routes.

    Otherwise, what can Russia guarantee in any negotiations?

    We continue to work with Europeans in two directions. The first is Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. We are working with the European Commission to agree on all procedures for our movement towards the EU as soon as possible. The second direction is sanctions, it is the top priority.

    We look forward to a new package of European sanctions against Russia to force it to peace. To make it clear: their economy simply will not survive this war.

    The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has made several very important decisions.

    The complete abolition of value added tax and excise duty for fuel was approved.

    For gasoline, for diesel. This is done not only in the context of the sowing campaign, which should start as usual, but also in the context of the needs of all citizens.

    So that there is no shortage of fuel in the country. So that prices are stable.

    The government has done its part. Now it’s up to the deputies.

    They must immediately adopt this decision by their vote. Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk is already organizing the relevant sitting.

    The second component is to support those Ukrainian communities that receive our migrants from the areas of hostilities.

    The government has decided to compensate local budgets for utilities payment when accommodating people.

    According to preliminary estimates, communities in at least ten regions of Ukraine will receive concrete money from the central government to ensure that all IDPs are provided with everything necessary.

    Ukrainians!

    Now all of us have to be efficient in our routine as well.

    We must do our job one hundred percent, help colleagues, take care of our loved ones. And at the same time we must provide everything necessary for our defense. For our defenders.

    This is a patriotic war. This is a people’s war.

    This is a war for our independence.

    Independence of not just our state.

    But of everything Ukrainian that was, is and will be in the world.

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Edward Argar – 2022 Statement on NHS Charging Exemption for Ukrainian Residents

    Edward Argar – 2022 Statement on NHS Charging Exemption for Ukrainian Residents

    The statement made by Edward Argar, the Minister for Health, in the House of Commons on 17 March 2022.

    I want to update the House about further measures this Government are taking to step up their response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which continues to see hundreds of thousands of people who ordinarily live in Ukraine forced to flee their homes and seek safety and support in other countries.

    Today I want to announce new legislative measures in England to exempt Ukrainian residents from NHS charging so that they can access the NHS on broadly the same basis as someone who is ordinarily resident in the UK. We will apply these exemptions retrospectively from 24 February 2022 to further protect people.

    Current overseas visitor NHS charging legislation requires us to recover NHS secondary care treatment costs from anyone who does not ordinarily live in the UK, unless an exemption applies to them. Primary care and A&E services and certain types of treatment—including for most infectious diseases—remain free to all, regardless of a person’s home

    We have therefore now amended the charging regulations to allow everyone who is ordinarily resident in Ukraine, and their immediate family members, who are lawfully in the UK to access NHS care in England for free, including those who transfer here under official medevac routes.

    This will cover all potential treatment needs, except for assisted conception services, to align with the existing exemption for those whose immigration health surcharge fees have been waived. Those who will benefit from this additional exemption include:

    Anyone who uses an alternative temporary (less than six months) visa route outside of the family or sponsorship routes

    Anyone who chooses to extend their visit or seasonal worker visa temporarily, without going through the IHS system

    Anyone who is in the process of switching visas (which could take some time to process).

    We have applied a six-month review clause to this policy and it is our hope that this will help not only to provide security and peace of mind for the NHS and those in need, but to remain open to further developments.

    Ukrainian residents who are in the UK unlawfully are not covered by these measures but will remain within the scope of existing provisions within the charging regulations. This means that not only treatment needed immediately, but any treatment that cannot safely wait until the overseas visitor can be reasonably expected to leave the UK, must never be withheld or delayed, even when that overseas visitor has indicated that they cannot pay. Some NHS services will remain exempt from charge for all overseas visitors, such as primary care, A&E services and treatment of infectious diseases.

    This Government continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Ukrainian friends and we are proud to continue to offer support for Ukrainian residents in our country.

  • Lucy Frazer – 2022 Statement on UK Suspension of Exchange of Tax Information with Russia and Belarus

    Lucy Frazer – 2022 Statement on UK Suspension of Exchange of Tax Information with Russia and Belarus

    The statement made by Lucy Frazer, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, in the House of Commons on 17 March 2022.

    Today I am announcing that the UK is freezing tax co-operation with Russia and Belarus by suspending all exchange of tax information with them, as part of the UK’s wider response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The UK exchanges tax information with Russia under the convention on mutual administrative assistance in tax matters, and Russia and Belarus under bilateral double tax agreements. Tax information is exchanged as part of collaboration to address tax compliance risks.

    Suspending exchange of tax information means that Russia will not receive information under any of the UK’s exchange of information agreements: exchange of information on request (EoIR), common reporting standard (CRS) or country-by-country reporting (CBCR). Belarus is not signed up to the CRS or CBCR, so only EoIR information is being suspended.

    It is not appropriate that the UK undertake co-operation that would lead to the economic benefit of Russia, or Belarus, which has aided and abetted Russia. The suspension of tax information exchange will ensure the UK is not supplying Russia and Belarus with information that could lead to an increased tax benefit or yield for them. This action is not expected to materially impact the UK’s ability to address tax non-compliance as we continue to exchange tax information with our extensive treaty network.

  • Stephen Kinnock – 2022 Speech on Refugees from Ukraine

    Stephen Kinnock – 2022 Speech on Refugees from Ukraine

    The speech made by Stephen Kinnock, the Labour MP for Aberavon, in the House of Commons on 16 March 2022.

    There are turning points in history when the constant struggle between freedom and tyranny comes down to one fight in one place. In 1940, that fight took place in the skies above Britain. Today, 82 years later, it is taking place in the forests, fields and war-torn towns and cities of Ukraine. Today we pay tribute to President Zelensky, who has stood strong and resolute in these dark times in the face of Vladimir Putin’s senseless war of choice.

    Volodymyr Zelensky is without doubt the leader of the free world, and the bravery, dignity and defiance of the Ukrainian people will never be forgotten. They have not yet won this war, but let us make no mistake: they will eventually triumph over the forces of darkness that have invaded their country. When they do, the United Kingdom and every other democracy across the world will be forever in debt to the heroes of the Ukrainian resistance.

    The courage and fortitude of the Ukrainian people stands in stark contrast to the mean-spirited and inept way in which the Home Secretary has responded to the crisis. We should not be surprised by that, however, as the utter shambles of the last few weeks is simply part of a pattern of behaviour. From the Windrush scandal to the small boats crisis, and from the Nationality and Borders Bill to the response to Putin’s barbaric assault on Ukraine, we are witnessing a Government Department whose approach is defined by a toxic combination of incompetence and indifference.

    We have had to endure the embarrassing spectacle of the Home Secretary contradicting her own Department’s announcement on the number of visas granted, and then compounding the confusion by claiming that an application centre for Ukrainians had been opened in Calais when that was patently not the case. While I commend the Immigration Minister for deleting the tweet in which he suggested that Ukrainians fleeing the horrors of war should apply for fruit picker visas, I nevertheless repeat my request that he apologise for that tweet, as it is clear that such an apology would go a long way to reassuring the public that the Government have grasped the horrific reality of the situation.

    A Government who fail to plan are a Government who plan to fail. Vladimir Putin has been showing the world for years that he is a war-mongering gangster who will stop at nothing in his relentless campaign to crush democracy and the rule of law. From the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko to the invasion of Georgia, and from butchery in Syria to the illegal annexation of Crimea and the state-sponsored hit on the Skripals, Mr Putin’s track record of murder and mayhem since he came to power is not exactly a state secret.

    Putin has been massing his troops on the Ukrainian border since October last year. That is five months that the Home Secretary could have used to put plans in place for every possible scenario, so that if an exodus were to be triggered by an invasion, we would have had a well-organised and effective response ready to roll out. Instead, we have seen the Government scrambling, making policy on the hoof and constantly being on the back foot.

    As a consequence of that basic failure to plan and prepare, we have witnessed the Government having to perform U-turns on an almost-daily basis. First, the Home Secretary said that the family reunion scheme would be open only to dependants, thus preventing Ukrainians in this country from bringing in their elderly parents, grandparents or extended family. We on the Opposition Benches protested, and the Home Office grudgingly extended it to parents and adult children. We protested again, and the Government finally relented, so thankfully all extended family members are now included in the scope of the family reunion route.

    Then the Home Secretary was insisting on Ukrainians with passports and family in the UK having to wait for days in visa application centres rather than applying online and doing the biometric checks here in the UK. Again we protested and again the Home Secretary was forced to U-turn. It took weeks of pressure to force the Government to set up a scheme for Ukrainians who do not have family connections in the UK.

    While I am on the subject of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, the fact that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has been given responsibility for it speaks volumes, because it is a clear signal that the Prime Minister has completely lost confidence in the Home Secretary.

    Tom Pursglove

    Would the hon. Gentleman not find it odd if the Department responsible for housing were not responsible for trying to provide housing for vulnerable people?

    Stephen Kinnock

    The vast majority of the issues that need to be resolved around bringing Ukrainians into this country are clearly to do with immigration. The fact that this brief has been shifted is a clear indication that the Prime Minister has lost confidence in the Home Secretary.

    Liz Saville Roberts

    Does the hon. Gentleman share my confusion about that comment by the Minister, given that the Home Secretary was responsible for putting refugees in deeply unsuitable circumstances in Penally camp in Pembrokeshire, which has since had to be closed?

    Stephen Kinnock

    The right hon. Lady is absolutely right. Operation Warm Welcome, the scheme for Afghans, has completely stalled and thousands of Afghans are stuck in hotels. That was completely on the watch of this Home Secretary, so I will take no lectures on that from the Government Members.

    Mr Bone

    I say to the shadow Minister that the SNP has moved the motion sensibly, criticising the Government in a constructive way. The shadow Minister’s remarks are in danger of turning into a more party political attack. May I suggest that that is not what the House wants at the moment?

    Stephen Kinnock

    I remind the hon. Gentleman that what is going on in Ukraine is a fight for democracy. In this House we act on the basis of democracy; it is the Opposition’s duty to hold the Government to account and to scrutinise them. If I were saying these things in Russia right now, I would be carted out and sent to the gulag, so I will take no lectures from him on the purpose of this debate and on our purpose, as Her Majesty’s loyal Opposition, in a democracy. This House has lost confidence in the Home Secretary and, frankly, the entire country has too.

    I turn now to the day-to-day misery and chaos that Ukrainians seeking sanctuary in our country are experiencing. We are still hearing stories from Ukrainians who have made it to Poland, Hungary and other bordering countries that they are having to wait for days on end to be granted a UK visa. Given that we know that it takes only 10 minutes for a biometric test to be completed and only a matter of minutes to print a visa, why on earth are people having to wait for so long? As one Ukrainian refugee on the Polish border said, “It was hell”. Another called it “a humiliating process”.

    This incompetence is leaving a stain on our international reputation. Have these poor people not dealt with enough stress already? We have also heard that the visa centre in northern France was originally supposed to be in Calais, then Lille, and that now it will be in Arras, another 30 miles from Lille. If the Home Office cannot even decide where the visa centre will be, how on earth will the people on the ground know where to go?

    Let us not forget that the Home Secretary cited security concerns as the explanation for her refusal to set up a visa centre in Calais, while we have a Prime Minister who repeatedly overruled the advice of our security services in awarding a peerage to the son of a KGB agent. That tells us all we need to know about the priorities of this Government.

    I turn to the Homes for Ukraine scheme that was announced on Monday. As I mentioned earlier in my remarks, Labour managed to shame the Government into introducing a sponsorship scheme to allow those without family to come to our country. It is a matter of profound regret that the Government have not heeded our calls for a simple emergency visa scheme that would have avoided the huge amount of bureaucracy, uncertainty and red tape that they have chosen to introduce. Nevertheless, this scheme is better than nothing.

    However, on Monday the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities stood at the Dispatch Box and bellowed at the top of his voice about being fed up with people saying that the British people are not generous. His histrionics were yet another example of the deeply disingenuous behaviour of Conservative Ministers who come to this Chamber and deliberately misrepresent the Opposition’s criticisms of their dismal performance. Nobody is criticising the public for lack of generosity; our criticisms are levelled directly at this Government who have utterly failed the Ukrainians who are fleeing the horrors of war. If Ministers were to spend half as much time actually getting on with their jobs as they do desperately deploying smoke and mirrors to conceal their failings, then we might all be in a better place.

    Mike Amesbury

    Is the visa application not still a fundamental flaw in the Homes for Ukraine scheme? The considerable bureaucracy of a 50-page form will still be required. That really needs to be dealt with, and soon.

    Stephen Kinnock

    My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The bureaucracy of a 50-page form could so easily be cut through if the Government were to heed our calls for an emergency visa scheme. The bureaucracy being imposed on these poor people who are feeling the horrors of war should shame us all.

    Arguably, the most serious design fault in the Homes for Ukraine scheme is that people who wish to support Ukrainians must track them down themselves. My hon. Friend the shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities rightly described this as a “DIY asylum scheme” that risks leaving refugees without refuge. Are the Government seriously suggesting that Ukrainians fleeing the horrors of war should advertise themselves on social media or that Brits who are happy to offer their spare rooms should be searching on Instagram for Ukrainian families to sponsor? Will the Minister commit today to the Government’s implementing a pairing system to help sponsors find Ukrainian refugees who wish to come here?

    We can only speculate on why the Home Secretary has chosen to burden those fleeing the horrors of war with the confusion and chaos that we have seen. Is she simply incompetent or is she being driven by the hostile-environment ideology that has propelled her to the upper echelons of the Conservative party? Only the Home Secretary can answer that question, but whatever her motivations the shambolic consequences are plain to see.

    I began my speech by saying that there are moments in history when the great struggle between freedom and tyranny comes down to one fight, and I say today, without an iota of doubt, that freedom will win the day. Until that victory comes, we must do all we can to offer safe sanctuary to those Ukrainians who have made the perilous journey from their war-torn homeland.

    As we have all seen, the Ukrainians are a passionately patriotic people and they will be utterly focused on returning home to rebuild their lives and their country as soon as the enemy has been defeated and expelled. In the meantime, they need to be treated with dignity and respect, but instead the Home Secretary’s response has been mean spirited, short sighted and shambolic.

    Stuart C. McDonald

    I agree with much of what the shadow Minister has said, but can he be clear that Labour’s position is not to waive visa requirements altogether? How can he be so certain that the emergency visa he describes will resolve waiting times and bureaucracy? Why does he not join the SNP in calling for waiving visa requirements altogether?

    Stephen Kinnock

    The hon. Gentleman is right that we are not suggesting that security checks be waived. We are making it clear that those security checks should take place in the United Kingdom when people have got here. The emergency visa has a rapid application process. On that basis, people would come into the UK and the biometric checks would take place here.

    Alexander Stafford (Rother Valley) (Con)

    The hon. Gentleman is saying that Labour would have the checks in the UK. What would happen if somebody failed the checks when they were already in the UK? Would they be deported? How would they be dealt with if they failed those checks?

    Stephen Kinnock

    That is a matter for Border Force. They would take the action that they take with any individual who enters this country and does not pass the security checks. It would be exactly the same as any other person who fails security checks; it is very simple and not rocket science.

    Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con) rose—

    Stephen Kinnock

    Traumatised people, whose lives have been turned upside down, are being pushed from pillar to post and having the door to our country slammed in their faces by this Home Secretary. This is a profoundly unserious Government who are led by profoundly unserious people; what a contrast with the bravery of the Ukrainians and the warmth and generosity of the British people. The British people have stepped up and now it is time for the Government to catch up.

    The Minister, hon. Members and right hon. Members from across this House are today calling on the Government to put people before paperwork. The British people are urging the Government to get a grip so that we can once again be confident in our proud record as a nation of sanctuary.

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (11/03/2022)

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (11/03/2022)

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 11 March 2022.

    Ukrainians!

    One of the main tasks for us today was the organization of humanitarian corridors.

    Sumy, Trostyanets, Krasnopillya, Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel, Izyum. Almost 40,000 people have already been evacuated this day. They were given safety at last. In Poltava, Kyiv, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Lviv.

    Humanitarian cargoes were also delivered. Hundreds of tons of food, medicine.

    We are doing everything to save our people in the cities that the enemy just wants to destroy. Taking into account the work of humanitarian corridors in the previous two days, we have already evacuated about one hundred thousand people.

    But…

    Mariupol and Volnovakha remain completely blocked.

    Although we did everything necessary to make the humanitarian corridor work, Russian troops did not cease fire.

    Despite this, I decided to send a convoy of trucks to Mariupol anyway. With food, water, medicine. I am grateful to the drivers – brave people who were ready to fulfill this mission. An extremely important mission.

    But the invaders started a tank attack exactly in the area where this corridor was supposed to be. Corridor of life. For the people of Mariupol.

    They did it consciously. They knew what they were disrupting. They have a clear order to hold Mariupol hostage, to torture it, to carry out constant bombardment.

    Today they destroyed the building of the main department of the State Emergency Service in the Donetsk region. Right next to this building was the place where Mariupol residents were to gather for evacuation.

    This is outright terror. Blatant terror.

    From experienced terrorists.

    The world needs to know that. It has to admit it. We are all dealing with a terrorist state.

    But no matter what, we will try! Constantly! We will continue to try to bring to Mariupol the aid that people so desperately need. Ukrainians need.

    The invaders are doing everything to deceive our people in the besieged cities.

    They block communication. Prevent the provision of Information. The state is doing everything to help our city.

    Everything to tell the people of Mariupol: we are fighting. And we will not give up this fight.

    Therefore, if you have the opportunity to talk to the people of Mariupol, to write to the people of Mariupol, spread the truth. Remind them that Ukraine is with them wholeheartedly and is doing everything to stop the torture of the city.

    Russian propagandists have substantially intensified their activity today. And they tried very hard.

    Probably in order to cover up the crimes of their army in Ukraine. Crimes against Mariupol. Against Donbas. Against Kharkiv. Against dozens of other cities.

    Cover them up with new accusations. New-old fakes.

    They accuse us… Again us! That we are allegedly developing biological weapons. Allegedly, we are preparing a chemical attack.

    This makes me really worried, because we’ve been repeatedly convinced: if you want to know Russia’s plans, look at what Russia accuses others of.

    Look, spreading such accusations in the Russian media shows that it is THEY who are capable of this. The Russian military, the Russian special services. It shows that they want it.

    They have already done such things in other countries. Similar! They themselves announced, they themselves organized, they themselves complained. And they will do so again.

    Again and again. If they are not stopped.

    They tore apart Moldova with Transnistria. They tore apart Georgia with Abkhazia. They tore apart Ukraine with Donbas and Crimea.

    But they blame us! Those who have become victims.

    Those who are forced to defend themselves. Fight for the right to live.

    They themselves come to us in tanks and with missiles.

    They take something that doesn’t belong to them. Capture.

    They are even ashamed to show their officers! They hide their generals. They conceal from their own people that they are sending conscripts to this war only to make the invasion forces larger.

    But we are to blame! We are accused of attacks on allegedly peaceful Russia.

    And now what? What are these allegations of preparing chemical attacks? Have you decided to carry out “de-chemicalization” of Ukraine? Using ammonia? Using phosphorus? What else have you prepared for us?

    Where will you strike with chemical weapons?

    At the maternity hospital in Mariupol? At the church in Kharkiv? At the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital?

    Or at laboratories, most of which have remained since Soviet times and are engaged in ordinary science. Ordinary!

    NOT military technology.

    We are adequate people. I am the President of an adequate country, an adequate nation. And the father of two children.

    And no chemical or any other weapons of mass destruction were developed on my land.

    The whole world knows that.

    YOU know that.

    And if YOU do something like that against US, you will get the most severe sanctions response.

    Ukrainians! Our defenders!

    I have signed several important decrees.

    About awarding the title of Hero of Ukraine to thirteen of our defenders:

    Lieutenant Colonel Litun Andriy Mykolayovych. Posthumously. He died covering our troops and heroically restraining the enemy’s offensive.

    Captain Korpan Oleksandr Bohdanovych. Posthumously. He saved our soldiers and civilian houses when he took the falling aircraft away from them.

    Junior Lieutenant Blokha Yuriy Ihorovych. Posthumously. In the battles in the Mykolaiv region he heroically protected brothers-in-arms, saving their lives.

    Senior Sergeant Ivashko Andriy Oleksandrovych. Posthumously. During the rocket fire, he personally provided information about the enemy’s actions at the cost of his own life.

    Junior Sergeant Volkov Yevhen Volodymyrovych. Posthumously. For courage and heroism during the evacuation of the wounded in the Donetsk region, for saving our military.

    Major General Nikoliuk Viktor Dmytrovych. He skillfully led the defense in the north-eastern direction and managed to prevent the capture of Chernihiv.

    Colonel Khoda Leonid Oleksiyovych. During the war, under his command, more than 50 enemy vehicles were destroyed.

    Lieutenant Colonel Ponomarenko Vyacheslav Anatoliyovych. Thanks to his actions, a significant number of enemy’s equipment and soldiers in the city of Hostomel were destroyed.

    Lieutenant Colonel Yakovenko Oleksandr Oleksiyovych. He withdrew his units from the enemy artillery fire, thanks to which he saved personnel and continued to successfully defend the Donetsk region.

    Major Bova Yevhen Petrovych. For the heroic defense of Mariupol and holding positions under constant enemy attacks.

    Captain Boyechko Vasyl Vasyliovych. For the extremely successful destruction of enemy equipment and manpower.

    Sergeant Moroz Oleh Romanovych. Thanks to his heroic deeds, the enemy’s offensive in the Luhansk region was stopped.

    Sailor Samofalov Valeriy Mykhailovych. In one battle, for the first time in the history of this war, he shot down three enemy helicopters.

    I also signed a decree awarding orders for personal courage to 39 national guardsmen, 31 policemen (9 posthumously), 14 border guards (4 posthumously) and 23 employees of the State Emergency Service.

    Today the rank of Brigadier General is awarded to:

    Nechayev Oleh Oleksandrovych. For the successful defense of the Kyiv region.

    Lishchynsky Vladyslav Vatslavovych. For extremely successful actions against the enemy in the Kherson region.

    Hutsol Volodymyr Volodymyrych. For the successful destruction of enemy airborne troops in Vasylkiv.

    Demyanchyk Hryhoriy Petrovych. For the successful organization of personnel training for our military units.

    And finally.

    Discussions on Ukraine’s future in the EU continue today and tomorrow in Europe.

    I believe that our people, our state, our army did everything for us to be welcome there. As equals. For us to be invited there.

    This is the final exam for Europe.

    Among the leaders of the states there are those who support us. And there are also those who support only themselves.

    But we see how the nations of all European countries treat us. And this is the main thing.

    Because I know for sure – if people decided on our membership in the EU, they would definitely choose the people of Ukraine.

    Today, when I see the support of the people of each country in the squares of European capitals, I know that the Ukrainian people are already in the European Union.

    And politicians… I’m sure they will adjust to that.

    Preferably faster.

    Glory to the nations of Europe!

    Glory to Ukraine!

    Glory to our military!

    Thank you!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (10/03/2022)

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (10/03/2022)

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 10 March 2022.

    Ukrainians!

    Information about the victims of yesterday’s bombing of the maternity hospital and the children’s hospital in Mariupol appeared last night. We lost three people, including a child, a girl. The number of wounded is 17. These are children, women, medical workers.

    You know, this topic was mentioned on Russian television. It was on their talk show. But not a word of truth was said. The Russians were lied to that there had been no patients in the hospital and no women or children in the maternity hospital. The Russians were lied to that “nationalists” had allegedly taken up positions there. They lie confidently, as always.

    War crimes are impossible without the propagandists who cover them up. I want to tell them one thing: you will bear responsibility just as all those who give orders to bomb civilians. We will find all the property of the propagandists and their associates. We will do our best to confiscate it wherever it is. You love a rich life. Love prosperous countries. You will not have this anymore. And this is just the beginning.

    You will definitely be prosecuted for complicity in war crimes. And then, it will definitely happen, you will be hated by Russian citizens. Everyone whom you have been deceiving constantly, daily, for many years in a row. When they feel the consequences of your lies in their wallets, in their shrinking possibilities. In the stolen future of Russian children.

    War is never isolated. It always beats both the victim and the aggressor. The aggressor just realizes it later. But it always realizes and always suffers.

    Today, we are once again providing humanitarian corridors for our cities. The buses have already departed, the trucks are already on their way – with food, water, medicine.

    Mariupol, Volnovakha, Izyum, Sumy and the region. Cities and towns of the Kyiv region – Bucha, Borodyanka, Irpin, Hostomel… My heart is broken by what the invaders did to our cities, to our state! And by what they want to do to our people who need urgent help.

    Russian troops have already created a humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine. But for them it is part of the plan. They want to humiliate our people. Make them take bread and water from the hands of the invaders standing on their knees. So that Ukrainians can save their lives just by going to the occupied territories or to Russia. That’s why they are blocking Mariupol, that’s why they are blocking Volnovakha, blocking other cities.

    The invaders specially organize this torture to give their propaganda channels new material. Just for that. Monsters.

    Despite everything, updated information was received every hour yesterday about people whom we managed to evacuate to the free territory of Ukraine. In total, more than 60,000 of our citizens were rescued yesterday plus those who did not have time until night and continued the evacuation in the morning.

    I spoke today, in particular about that, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. About the torture of our cities, our people. I spoke with French President Macron.

    I felt in a conversation with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson that our anti-war coalition will soon become much stronger. Consequently, the pressure on Russia for peace will also be much stronger. For us, specifics in relations with world leaders, with European leaders are very important.

    We are really fighting for our independence! For freedom, for equality for all on the continent! That is why we want to see from partners the decisions based on reality, not on declarations or abstract considerations.

    These days, the EU leaders will convene to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine. To discuss our application for EU membership. We are waiting for a concrete signal. We look forward to strong support. Because it will be fair, real, human, European.

    We know exactly the position of every leader. We know exactly who stands with us and who thinks that the European Union is just accounting, profits, expenses and nothing more. We will work, we will persuade. Life will convince them.

    Ukrainians! Our defenders!

    We all have been defending our state for the 15th day. We endured. The Ukrainian army is repelling attacks in key directions. Thanks to our military, National Guards, border guards, police, territorial defense and everyone who joined the defense of the state, we have not become slaves, and will never become!

    Because this is our spirit, this is our destiny. Pride for our Armed Forces of Ukraine is boundless!

    After the war, after our victory, we will rebuild everything that was destroyed.

    Very quickly and with a very high quality. A special state program for reconstruction will be created for each affected city. I have already instructed the government to start the elaboration.

    Chernihiv and Sumy, Okhtyrka and Zhytomyr, Izyum, Mariupol and all our beautiful cities to which evil has come will not see a single trace of the Russian invasion.

    The best architects, the best companies, the best projects. For every city! I want to say this on the example of Kharkiv. Our Kharkiv, which is now experiencing the worst suffering since World War II.

    Saltivka, Oleksiivka… Perhaps most Ukrainians know nothing about these names. But the people of Kharkiv will hear. Freedom Square will be such that everyone, all of us, all Europeans will be there! Poltava Way, Belgorod Highway, Myronosytska Street, Regional Children’s Hospital, Kharkiv Oncology Center, Karazin University, Labor Palace, Korolenko Library.

    We will rebuild everything! I promise you personally. Kharkiv residents will see that Ukraine stands with them. And it really does.

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • James Cleverly – 2022 Statement on Ukraine

    James Cleverly – 2022 Statement on Ukraine

    The statement made by James Cleverly, the Minister for Europe and North America, in the House of Commons on 15 March 2022.

    I beg to move,

    That this House has considered the situation in Ukraine.

    Seven days ago, President Zelensky inspired us with his address to Parliament. This weekend, he was visiting wounded soldiers in hospital, leading from the front. We owe it to President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine to do our utmost to help them in their brave fight; we owe it to ourselves to stand up for security and stability in Europe; and we owe it to the world to keep the flame of freedom burning and to show that aggression does not pay.

    In response to the unprovoked attack, the world has shown immense unity in standing up to Vladimir Putin, but we need to keep up the pressure. Our objective is clear: Putin must lose in Ukraine. We are doing this by cutting off the funding for his war machine, by providing weapons that the Ukrainians need to defend themselves and by isolating Putin on the world stage. The United Kingdom has been at the forefront of the international response, with a tough sanctions package and strong support, including defensive weapons and humanitarian aid. We will now enhance our work with allies to respond to Russia’s aggression.

    We need to be strong to get peace. That is why we are building on efforts to cut off the funding for Putin’s war machine through sanctions. Today, I can announce that we will go further than ever before by hitting more than 360 more people complicit with Putin’s regime. They range from former President Dmitry Medvedev and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to Putin’s propagandist Maria Zakharova. After today, we will have designated more than 1,000 individuals and entities under our Russian sanctions regime.

    We are using our new powers under the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 to maximise impact. That would not have been possible without the extraordinary efforts of colleagues across this Parliament to get the legislation through the House so quickly, which shows our collective determination to lead by example in punishing the Putin regime.

    Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab)

    The Minister is right that we are sanctioning a lot of people, but actually we name the people who are sanctioned, and then other people do the sanctioning by not engaging with them on a financial basis, not buying or selling properties and all the rest of it. At the moment, it is phenomenally difficult to find out from the Foreign Office sanctions list who is and is not sanctioned. For instance, I gather that it was announced last week that Members of the Duma were sanctioned, but they are still not on the Foreign Office website list, as far as I can see. I wonder whether there is a way of making the information far more readily available to the wider population.

    We need to deal not just with the people who have £20 million houses, whom we have all heard of, but with the people who have £750,000 flats in London, bought with Russian dirty money—the many relatives of Abramovich and his ex-partners, for instance. Each one of them needs to be dealt with, and each one of those properties needs to be seized.

    James Cleverly

    The hon. Gentleman makes an important point about ensuring that we give due publicity to the people, institutions and entities who have been sanctioned. I will ensure that the Department listens to his suggestion.

    In December, we brought our G7 partners together in Liverpool to warn Putin that invading Ukraine would have massive consequences. We have followed through on that pledge. We have worked with our allies to cut off sectors of the Russian economy by targeting its defence companies, trade and transport sector, and by kicking banks out of the SWIFT financial system. We have led the way with our financial sanctions, targeting 10 Russian banks, and we have hit over £300 billion of Russian bank assets. All this amounts to the toughest sanctions package of any country. We will work with all our allies and encourage them to keep ratcheting up their efforts as well.

    We will continue to provide lethal military aid to Ukraine. We were the first European country to send defensive weapons; we have already donated more than 3,600 next generation light anti-tank weapons and are now supplying Javelin missiles.

    James Gray (North Wiltshire) (Con)

    Does my right hon. Friend agree that one of the lighter moments in an otherwise extremely bleak military picture in Ukraine was the destruction of Russian tanks, using—one has to presume—British NLAW missiles?

    James Cleverly

    My hon. and gallant Friend makes an important point. We have heard anecdotally that Ukrainians are shouting “God save the Queen!” as they fire those weapons at the tanks that have been sent to destroy them. I am very proud that we play an incredibly important part.

    Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD)

    I thank the Minister for giving way; it is very courteous of him. Is it not true that part of the reason we are where we are today is the historic long-term running down of our armed forces? The situation today sits very ill with the proposal to reduce the British Army by 10,000 men and women. Finally, we have all read in today’s Telegraph that inflation will reduce the size of the armed forces over the years ahead.

    James Cleverly

    The sad truth, I think, is that Vladimir Putin has been plotting this expansionist idea of his for quite some time. I do not agree that it is necessarily linked with domestic defence policy in the UK, but we can absolutely be proud that British military technology, assisted by British military training, is helping the Ukrainians in their time of need and in their ferocious defence of their homeland.

    Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham) (Con)

    My right hon. Friend has told us that the United Kingdom has taken the lead on our continent in freezing the assets of Russians. During his discussions with representatives of the European Union, have they been able to furnish him with an explanation of why they, as an entity, have failed to keep pace with Britain in that regard?

    James Cleverly

    I am often encouraged to do a “compare and contrast” between the United Kingdom and our international friends and partners, but the simple truth is that there has been greater, tighter and closer co-ordination in response to Putin’s aggression in Ukraine than I could ever have imagined, and we will continue to work together extremely closely. We are proud of the fact that the UK Government have had a dramatic and detrimental impact on Russia’s finances, choking off Putin’s ability to fund this aggression, but we intend to go further, and we will do so in close co-ordination with those international friends and partners.

    Clive Lewis (Norwich South) (Lab)

    As someone who lost his guts, or at least his lunch, quite a few times when helicopters were having to jig because of the threat of Singer missiles—given to our allies at the time, decades earlier—may I ask whether the Minister can assure us that the Government’s measures are sufficient to ensure that our weapons do not end up on the black market in the hands of the wrong people at a future date? Will he also confirm that our weapons—the NLAWs and other pieces of aggressive equipment—will not end up in the hands of far-right neo-Nazis, many of whom we know to be making their way to Ukraine now from around the world?

    James Cleverly

    Our priority, and the purpose of the defensive weapon support that we have provided, is to help the Ukrainians to defend themselves against the attacks of Russia. Obviously we hope that this conflict will come to a swift conclusion, but until then we will continue our support for the Ukrainians as they defend themselves. What happens at the end of this conflict, in terms of securing munitions, will be something on which we will work with the Ukraine Government and our national friends and partners, but at the moment our priority, quite rightly, is to help the Ukrainians to defend themselves against Putin’s attack.

    Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)

    May I ask my right hon. Friend about this distinction between defensive and offensive weaponry? The fact is that when a friendly nation finds itself under attack, all the weaponry with which we supply it is defensive. I should have thought that if we cannot intervene ourselves—and there are good reasons why we cannot—there is no reason at all why we cannot help the Ukrainians with their airspace problem by facilitating the necessary aircraft deliveries which they have requested.

    James Cleverly

    My right hon. Friend has made an important point about munitions systems being inherently defensive when a country is under attack. He has also made an important point about airspace management, and I will come to that later in my speech. I intend to make some progress now.

    Since 2014, we have worked to train more than 22,000 Ukrainian troops under Operation Orbital. As well as helping Ukraine to defend itself from attack on the ground, we must help it to defend itself against attack from the skies. That is why we will be sending more supplies, including Starstreak ground-based air defence anti-aircraft missiles. We and our allies need to do everything possible, within the UN charter on self-defence, to help Ukraine to defend itself, which is why I was with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister this morning discussing with and working with our Nordic and Baltic allies to increase defensive support as part of the UK-led joint expeditionary force. We must be robust in supporting our NATO allies living under the shadow of Russian aggression, so the UK, as NATO’s biggest European contributor, is doubling the number of troops in Estonia and Poland.

    As Putin inflicts ever greater misery in Ukraine, we continue our humanitarian and economic support. We have pledged almost £400 million, which includes the supply of more than 700,000 medical items directly to Ukraine and more than 500 power generators to keep essential facilities such as hospitals running. We have also brought 21 critically ill Ukrainian children to the UK to receive life-saving cancer treatment. We are providing more humanitarian aid than any other European country. The British people have also risen to the moment by showing their own huge generosity of spirit. In the short time since our homes for Ukraine scheme was launched, more than 80,000 people have signed up for it.

    Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet and Rothwell) (Con)

    It may be helpful for my right hon. Friend to know that according to a Sky newsflash, the figure is now more than 100,000.

    James Cleverly

    That is lovely. It is not usually nice to be wrong at the Dispatch Box, but I am incredibly proud that the figure I quoted, which was accurate a few hours ago when this speech was written, has now been made obsolete by the enormous generosity of spirit of the British people. I think that that shows us at our best. The Disasters Emergency Committee’s appeal has now reached over £150 million, which we are supporting with our largest ever match-funding pledge of £25 million.

    Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD)

    I do not doubt the generosity of the people of this country, but I am still worried about the generosity of the Government. May I give the Minister an example? A young Ukrainian family, related to one of my constituents, have thankfully made it into Poland, but although their visa appointment was over a week ago, they are still waiting for the outcome. Meanwhile, their hotel bills are rising and they are even considering returning to Ukraine—to a war zone. How humane is that response from the Government? Can they not make these decisions much more quickly?

    James Cleverly

    The Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and other members of the Government have made it clear that our intention is to be generous and to welcome Ukrainians with open arms. We are trying to facilitate that as quickly as possible, and the Home Secretary has spoken at the Dispatch Box about measures that she has put in place for that purpose. If the hon. Lady will pass on the details of the people whom she has mentioned, we will see what we can do to help, but I assure her that the generosity of spirit of this country will be felt by the Ukrainians who are fleeing persecution and attack from Vladimir Putin.

    As well as supporting Ukraine directly, we are deploying our diplomatic efforts internationally. We are rallying the 141 countries that voted to condemn Russia’s actions at the United Nations to do even more. We have seen many of those countries support our sanctions worldwide, from Switzerland to Singapore, and we are working to draw more countries into the orbit of those that are prepared to stand up for the sovereignty of Ukraine. We are working with partners to reduce the economic dependency on Russia across the world, from the Indo-Pacific to Africa and the Gulf, through trade and British international investment. Everything we do will further isolate the Putin regime which has made Russia a global pariah.

    Ultimately, we will hold Putin accountable for his crimes. We will work with prosecutors at the International Criminal Court to help them to obtain the information that they need, and we will not relent in our mission to see that justice is done.

    Sir Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex) (Con)

    Has my right hon. Friend seen the recent reports that the Russian navy is now massing off Odesa in a typical Russian tactical manoeuvre to open a new front? Is this not in fact a new opportunity to demonstrate to the world the unacceptability of Putin’s disgusting war and to invite open and international condemnation of his actions?

    James Cleverly

    My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We need to continue working internationally to enhance the coalition of nations that have denounced Putin’s actions and to increase the pressure on him to bring this war to a conclusion rather than opening up another front and increasing the suffering of the people in Ukraine.

    We must be realistic that there will be a cost to the UK and to our allies of imposing these tough sanctions, but the cost of doing nothing is so much higher. We saw what happened in 2014 when the free world did not do enough to contain Putin’s aggression. He came back more aggressively, and that is why we cannot allow him to impose a settlement on Ukraine that vindicates his aggression. If we fail to stand up to Putin and fail to support Ukraine in its hour of need, we will live to regret it.

    Simon Hoare (North Dorset) (Con)

    We know what a successful sanctions regime will look like: withdrawal, peace restored, etc. Who will determine—and when—whether the sanctions policy has worked, and what is the next step thereafter?

    James Cleverly

    My hon. Friend is right to draw our attention to that. The simple truth is that the sanctions have to be successful and we have to keep applying the pressure until they are successful.

    Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon) (Con)

    On that point, as we mount up the sanctions, we will be freezing more and more oligarchs’ and Russian assets, but we will not be selling them. We are not sequestrating them, so we are going to end up with a pile of assets. Are we at some point going to use those assets for the benefit of the Ukrainian people, or are we just going to wait until the war is over and hand them back, which I do not think would be as popular?

    James Cleverly

    Ultimately, what we are looking to do with these sanctions is choke off the supply of funds for Putin’s war machine. We have to be very focused on what the sanctions are for. This is about bringing this conflict to a conclusion.

    Mr Khalid Mahmood (Birmingham, Perry Barr) (Lab)

    Just a single point on sanctions: what action will we take when people break those sanctions on Russia and take supplies? I am thinking particularly of the crude oil being taken by India. What action should we take in those circumstances against people who are still supporting Putin, with his money flowing into the country?

    James Cleverly

    Ultimately, the enforcement of our sanctions regime is a task for Her Majesty’s Treasury. We will of course work across Government and internationally to ensure that the sanctions packages are robust and have the desired effect of ending this war in Ukraine. That is why the UK is working so hard and that is why, together with our allies and partners, we will ensure that Putin loses in Ukraine.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2022 Speech on the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme

    Lisa Nandy – 2022 Speech on the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme

    The speech made by Lisa Nandy, the Labour MP for Wigan, in the House of Commons on 14 March 2022.

    We were so relieved to hear that the Secretary of State was going to announce a scheme to allow Ukrainian refugees a route to safety after weeks of delay, but a press release is not a plan, and we are really deeply concerned about the lack of urgency. Yesterday, he went on TV to claim that Ukrainians could be here by Sunday, but he has just told us that they will still need a visa under the current application process. These are 50-page forms that have to be completed online, asking people who have fled with nothing to find an internet café to upload documents they do not have—water bills and mortgage documents—to prove who they are. The Home Office has been incredibly slow in issuing these visas. As of this morning, only 4,000 have been issued. We are lagging way behind the generosity of other countries. We could simplify this process today. We could keep essential checks but drop the excessive bureaucracy. He knows it; why has it not been done?

    For weeks the British people have been coming forward in large numbers to offer help. It has been moving and heartwarming to see the decency and spirit on display in every corner of this country. But what exactly will the Government be doing, especially in relation to matching families to sponsors? On the Secretary of State’s tour of the TV studios, he suggested several times that people who are willing to sponsor a Ukrainian family need to come to the Government with the name of that family, and they will then rubber-stamp it. He cannot seriously be asking Ukrainian families who are fleeing Vladimir Putin, and who have left their homes with nothing, to get on to Instagram and advertise themselves in the hope that a British family might notice them. Is that genuinely the extent of this scheme? Surely there is a role for the Secretary of State in matching Ukrainian families to their sponsors, not just a DIY asylum scheme where all he does is take the credit. Will he please clarify what the Government’s role is going to be?

    There has been a lack of urgency in getting people here and there is still a lack of urgency in ensuring that we support them when they do get here. Earlier today, my right hon. Friend the Member for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) and I spoke to council leaders, who stand ready and willing to help. Why has not anyone from the Secretary of State’s Department picked up the phone to them? Last week, I spoke to charities that he will ask to act as sponsors. They are acutely aware that the people who are coming will be quite unlike previous refugees.

    Two million people are on the march—children alone, mums with very young kids and older people. The brutal reality of what is happening in Ukraine is that working-age people have stayed behind to fight. Those leaving will have healthcare needs, and they will need school places, maternity care and social care. One council leader told me today that his city, which traditionally plays a major role in welcoming refugees, has only nine secondary school places available. Has it not occurred to the Secretary of State until this point to pick up the phone to leaders such as the one I spoke to before he went into the TV studios and promised the earth?

    These charities and council leaders are the same people who stepped up during covid. They spin gold out of thread every single day, and what is keeping them awake at night right now is how we do right by people and keep them safe. It was only a few months ago that the Home Office placed a child into a hotel in Sheffield that it had been told was unsafe without even bothering to tell the council, and he fell out of a window and died. Will the Secretary of State ensure that every council is contacted by close of play today? Will he work with them to do the vetting checks that are needed? They are experts in safeguarding children. Will he not only trust them, but support them?

    Will the Secretary of State put a safety net in place, in case a placement breaks down? His Department confirmed over the weekend that families left homeless in that situation will not be able to claim their housing costs under universal credit. Surely that cannot be true. Surely we are not going to ask people who have fled bombs and bullets to lie homeless on the streets of Britain.

    I suspect that the Secretary of State has felt as ashamed as I have to watch how this Government have closed the door to people who need our help. He shakes his head, but people have been turned back at Calais. They have been left freezing by the roadside with their children. We have had planes leaving neighbouring NATO countries packed to the rafters, except those to London, because this Government have turned people away. The British people who have come forward have shown that we are a far better country than our Government, but unless he gets a plan together—a real plan, not just a press release—all he is effectively announcing is plans to fail the people of Ukraine twice over. He said today that they have our total admiration, and they do, but they need more than that; they need our total support.

  • Michael Gove – 2022 Statement on the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme

    Michael Gove – 2022 Statement on the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme

    The statement made by Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in the House of Commons on 14 March 2022.

    With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on our Government’s response to help those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.

    This Government and this House—indeed, everyone in the UK—continue to be in awe of the bravery of the people of Ukraine. They are victims of savage, indiscriminate, unprovoked aggression. Their courage under fire and determination to resist inspires our total admiration.

    The United Kingdom stands with the Ukrainian people. My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary has been in the vanguard of those providing military assistance. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been co-ordinating diplomatic support and, with my right hon. Friends the Chancellor and Business Secretary, implementing a new and tougher than ever sanctions regime. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Home Office have also been providing humanitarian support on the ground to Ukraine’s neighbours, helping them to cope with the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people—but more can, and must, be done.

    To that end, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has already expanded the family route. She has also confirmed that from tomorrow Ukrainians with passports will be able to apply for UK visas entirely online without having to visit visa application centres. As a result, the number of Ukrainians now arriving in this country is rapidly increasing and numbers will grow even faster from tomorrow.

    We also know, however, that the unfailingly compassionate British public want to help further. That is why today we are answering that call with the announcement of a new sponsorship scheme, Homes for Ukraine. I thank my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and officials in the Home Office, in my own Department and across Government for their work over the course of the past days and weeks to ensure that we can stand up this scheme as quickly as possible. In particular, I thank my noble Friend Richard Harrington, now Lord Harrington of Watford, whose experience in ensuring that the Syrian refugee resettlement programme was a success will prove invaluable in ensuring that we do right by the people of Ukraine.

    The scheme that Lord Harrington has helped us to design draws on the enormous good will and generosity of the British public, and our proud history of supporting the vulnerable in their hour of greatest need. The scheme will allow Ukrainians with no family ties to the UK to be sponsored by individuals or organisations who can offer them a home. There will be no limit to the number of Ukrainians who can benefit from it.

    The scheme will be open to all Ukrainian nationals and residents, and they will be able to live and work in the United Kingdom for up to three years.[Official Report, 15 March 2022, Vol. 710, c. 9MC.] They will have full and unrestricted access to benefits, healthcare, employment and other support. Sponsors in the UK can be of any nationality, with any immigration status, provided they have at least six months’ leave to remain within the UK.

    Sponsors will have to provide accommodation for a minimum of six months. In recognition of their generosity, the Government will provide a monthly payment of £350 to sponsors for each family whom they look after. These payments will be tax-free. They will not affect benefit entitlement or council tax status. Ukrainians arriving in the United Kingdom will have access to the full range of public services—doctors, schools, and full local authority support. Of course we want to minimise bureaucracy and make the process as straightforward as possible while doing everything we can to ensure the safety of all involved. Sponsors will therefore be required to undergo necessary vetting checks, and we are also streamlining processes to security-assess the status of Ukrainians who will be arriving in the United Kingdom.

    From today, anyone who wishes to record their interest in sponsorship can do so on gov.uk; the webpage has gone live as I speak. We will then send any individual who registers further information setting out the next steps in this process. We will outline what is required of a sponsor and set out how sponsors can identify a named Ukrainian individual or family who can then take up each sponsorship offer. Because we want the scheme to be up and running as soon as possible, Homes for Ukraine will initially facilitate sponsorship between people with known connections, but we will rapidly expand the scheme in a phased way, with charities, churches and community groups, to ensure that many more prospective sponsors can be matched with Ukrainians who need help. We are of course also working closely with the devolved Administrations to make sure that their kind offers of help are mobilised. I know that all concerned want to play their part in supporting Ukrainians, who have been through so much, to ensure that they feel at home in the United Kingdom, and I am committed to working with everyone of good will to achieve this.

    Our country has a long and proud history of supporting the most vulnerable during their darkest hour. We took in refugees fleeing Hitler’s Germany, those fleeing repression in Idi Amin’s Uganda, and those who fled the atrocities of the Balkan wars. More recently, we have offered support to those fleeing persecution in Syria, Afghanistan and Hong Kong. We are doing so again with Homes for Ukraine. We are a proud democracy. All of us in this House wish to see us defend and uphold our values, stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, and offer a safe haven to people who have been forced to flee war and persecution. The British people have already opened their hearts in so many ways. I am hopeful that many will also be ready to open their homes and help those fleeing persecution to find peace, healing and the prospect of a brighter future. That is why I commend this statement to the House.