Ukraine invasion: Labour calls for emergency visas to help refugees

Labour are urging the government to introduce emergency protection visas for Ukrainians who want to reach the UK after fleeing from Russia's invasion.

The party says the visas would provide a "quick, simple and safe" route to the UK.

Home Secretary Priti Patel will visit Poland later to launch a visa scheme allowing relatives of Britons and people settled in the UK to come over.

But Labour says her rhetoric on refugee help "does not match the reality".

The United Nations says more than a million people have fled Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the attack last week.

On Tuesday, under pressure to do more for fleeing Ukrainians, the government relaxed family visa rules and promised to open a community sponsorship scheme.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the UK could take in 200,000 or more Ukrainians under these initiatives.

The changes came after criticism that the UK was doing less than EU members, which have agreed to let in Ukrainian refugees for up to three years without first having to seek asylum.

The UK's initial visa offer was restricted to immediate family but was widened to include parents, grandparents and siblings, with applications opening on Friday.

Under the separate sponsorship scheme, individuals and organisations will be able to bring Ukrainians to the UK for 12 months initially.

On Friday, Ms Patel will travel to Medyka in eastern Poland, where she will outline the UK's plan for helping Ukrainians displaced by the war.

More than 624,500 people have fled Ukraine to Poland since the war began, the country's border guard agency said on Friday.

Prior to the trip, Ms Patel said: "The British government will do everything it can to support the Ukrainian people at this critical moment as they fight for freedom.

She said the family visa scheme would enable Ukrainians with relatives in the UK "to be welcomed safely, quickly and free of charge".

"The United Kingdom stands to shoulder with Ukrainians, providing humanitarian practical support," she added.

But Labour says "many relatives of UK residents still do not qualify under the family visa, the community sponsorship programme will take time to set up, and there is still no provision for people in Britain to help Ukrainian friends".

Emergency protection visas would lift normal visa conditions other than security checks, which can be swiftly done en route, and go "beyond the current family provisions", the party says.

On the sponsorship scheme, Labour urged the government to set up an emergency taskforce to accelerate its rollout.

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said families fleeing conflict in Ukraine "need urgent help right now to reach safety and get support".

"Most want to stay close to home, especially those who have had to leave relatives behind, but the UK must play its part to help people seeking support and safety in our country too," Ms Cooper said.

On top of helping refugees, the government has also been stepping up sanctions against Russia as part of western efforts related to the conflict in Ukraine.

On Thursday, the Liberal Democrats suggested the government should seize properties owned by oligarchs close to President Putin and use them to house Ukrainian refugees.

When asked about the proposal on LBC Radio on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab replied: "Yes, absolutely.

"We are looking at everything in the round, it is a team effort across government, from the foreign and defence secretary through to Michael Gove and, of course, the prime minister is driving this very hard."