The Home Office has been condemned for “dirty propaganda” after appearing to protest that Ireland’s welcome for Ukraine refugees is a security threat to the UK.
Dublin is expected to admit 100,000 refugees from the invasion, after joining the rest of the EU in easing visa rules – which the UK has refused to do, triggering chaos and mounting criticism.
The Home Office is already under fire for a series of false claims about its hardline stance, including that is offering help to people stranded in Calais without visas when there is none.
Now the UK is reported to have raised concerns about Ireland’s liberal policy, claiming Ukrainians will be able to travel on to the UK without biometric checks because of the common travel area (CTA).
“Ireland has basically opened the door to everyone in Ukraine, which creates a problem due to the CTA,” a government source told The Daily Telegraph.
“We’ve seen before with migrants from Albania that they have come through Dublin, into Belfast and across to the mainland to Liverpool. That’s created a drug cartel route.”
But it was quickly pointed out that the visa-free common travel area only applies to UK and Irish citizens, not to migrants from other countries.
Simon Cox, a barrister at the Doughty Street Chambers firm, attacked the claim that refugees would not face security checks – which Ireland has said will be carried out after arrival.
“Home Office anonymous dirty propaganda. Ireland has security checks on Ukrainians arriving without visas. Just as UK has for French people arriving without visas,” he tweeted.
Donald Tusk, the former president of the European Council, poured scorn on Boris Johnson’s claim of being “very, very generous” to refugees.
“Solidarity in action. The UK has granted 50 visas to the Ukrainian refugees while the Poles have welcomed 1.2 million Ukrainians in two weeks,” he tweeted.
That number has now increased from 50 to 300, but it represents just 3.4 per cent of the 18,900 applications for visas made so far.
Meanwhile, officials in Calais have reported that almost 300 Ukrainians attempting to reach the UK have been turned away and told to go to Paris or Brussels to apply.
There is no Home Office team in Calais – despite Priti Patel telling the Commons on Monday that “we have staff in Calais, we have support on the ground”.
The home secretary sparked confusion by saying she is “investigating the legal options to create a humanitarian route” – but appeared to be talking about a scheme, already promised, for firms and individuals to sponsor refugees.
The UK is allowing family members to join Ukrainians already in this country, but has refused to copy the EU in offering asylum to all Ukrainians for three years.
Jeremy Hunt is leading a group of nearly 40 Tory MPs who have signed a letter calling on the prime minister to “provide a more generous system for those fleeing the war”
He said: “1.7 million people have now fled and no one could possibly argue they don’t have good cause.”
