The ongoing tragedy in Ukraine continues to dominate our thoughts.
On Tuesday the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, addressed Members of Parliament in the House of Commons via video link. This is not something that has ever happened before and I was pleased that the Speaker granted Mr Zelensky this historic request.
Mr Zelensky delivered a powerful and moving address to MPs – I couldn’t help but notice the Churchillian overtones in his speech. It’s hard for us to relate to what he must be going through right now; however, he has handled this situation with great poise, dignity and courage.
I was also proud that MPs on all sides of the House were united in listening and offering our support to the President and the brave people of Ukraine. Anyone who has watched a debate in the House of Commons knows that MPs from different parties can be hard on each other. However, on this issue, we are united in our support of Ukraine.
I was also pleased to meet with members of our local Ukrainian and Polish communities last Friday. This meeting was an opportunity to express my support for the Ukrainian people, ensure that Swindon’s Ukrainian community is heard, and to discuss the ongoing humanitarian situation in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries. We also discussed how we can establish a coordinated, local response to the humanitarian crisis by working with Swindon Borough Council, local businesses, volunteers & others to process donations & support.
In relation the national effort, the Government continues to support Ukrainians fleeing the conflict, with two main routes into the UK for Ukrainian refugees: a family member scheme and also a humanitarian pathway which matches sponsors (individuals, charities, organisations etc) with Ukrainian refugees. Altogether, we look to welcome hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to the UK should they wish to come here.
Sadly, there have been delays in processing Ukrainian refugees hoping to come to the UK, and the Home Office needs to urgently address the issues which are currently causing delays in getting visas arranged. These visas should be processed within 24 hours, and some are being done within hours. However, it shouldn’t be taking any longer and I have pressed ministers on this.
These challenges are, in part, related to the requirements for security and biometric checks. As I hope residents will appreciate, these checks are incredibly important and necessary for our national security. In fact, intelligence sources have repeatedly stated that Russian troops, along with various extremist groups and organisations in the region, are attempting to infiltrate and merge with Ukrainian forces.
However, I can assure residents that the government is doing everything it can to resolve these issues and challenges, and to provide as much support as possible to those Ukrainians who wish to come to the UK. The UK has a proud history of providing refuge to those fleeing conflict - whether that be Afghan refugees escaping the Taliban, those who fled the civil war in Syria, or the 100k visas accepted from Hong Kong residents fleeing Chinese tyranny. We absolutely must ensure that this proud history is maintained during this dark time.
We will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian people and provide whatever support we can - be that military assistance, humanitarian or by providing refuge.
