Boris Johnson has vowed to set up a scheme allowing British people and companies to sponsor Ukrainian refugees to come to the UK.
The prime minister has also expanded visa eligibility to more Ukrainian family members, following pressure to expand Britain’s offer to those fleeing the country hit by Russia’s invasion.
Mr Johnson claimed more 200,000 Ukrainians could soon be eligible to come to the UK under the visa route, as the scheme was broadened to include more parents, adult children, grandparents and siblings.
Speaking to reporters in Poland, Mr Johnson was grilled over his government’s refusal to copy the EU by waiving all visa rules for refugees fleeing Vladimir Putin’s forces.
“We have always had a tradition of welcoming people in large numbers,” Mr Johnson told reporters. “We’re extending the family [visa] scheme so that considerable numbers would be eligible. We’re talking about a couple of hundred thousand, maybe more.”
He added: “We’re going to have a humanitarian scheme, and then a scheme by which UK companies and citizens can sponsor individual Ukrainians to come to the UK. We’re doing exactly what the UNHCR is asking us to do.”
No 10 later clarified the government’s decision, after home secretary Priti Patel had suggested on Monday that the Home Office would be sticking to only very limited changes to visa rules.
Although the expanded scheme was set to apply only to spouses, the parents of children under 18 and children under 18, it will now be expanded to include parents of adult children, grandparents, adult children over 18, and the siblings of those settled in the UK.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said the government would make a “broad and generous offer to the people of Ukraine”.
The spokesperson also acknowledged the 200,000 figure used by Mr Johnson was “indicative only” as it was “impossible to predict” how many would want to come, rather than stay in countries closer to Ukraine.
Dozens of senior Conservatives had joined Labour in demanding more “decisive” action on refugees, including ex-ministers Jeremy Hunt, Robert Buckland, Greg Clark, Damian Green and Caroline Nokes.
On Tuesday Ms Patel confirmed in the Commons the definition of family members would be extended to “parents, grandparents, adult offspring, siblings and their immediate family members” under the Ukrainian family visa scheme.
The home secretary also confirmed a “humanitarian sponsorship pathway” was being set up for Ukrainians who do not have close family members in the UK, but who can get sponsorship from a firm or individual – saying there would be no limit of the numbers who could apply.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson suggested ways in which sanctions on Putin’s regime could be tightened – urging other countries to back further tightening of the Swift international payment system on Russian entities.
The PM said: “There is plainly more to be done on Swift, we can tighten up yet further on Swift, even though it has had a dramatic effect already I think we do need to go further.
Mr Johnson added: “There’s more to be done on Sberbank, there’s more to be done on the freezing of Russian assets … I think there’s genuine amazement and dismay in Russia about what has happened already but there is more to be done.”
There could be more “severing of sporting links” and “cracking down on the billionaires associated with Vladimir Putin”, Mr Johnson added.
A Ukrainian journalist made an emotional appeal to Mr Johnson to impose a no-fly zone to protect civilians in the country as he was asked questions at the end of his press coference in Poland.
Daria Kaleniuk said: “My call to the West is protect our sky. It is insane that our sky is being protected by children who are taking the heat.”
Mr Johnson replied: “That’s not something that we can do or that we’ve envisaged. The consequences of that would be truly very, very difficult to control.”
