Markus Andrews

The government has admitted it is not keeping track of how long lorry drivers are having to sit in queues at Dover thanks to new Brexit bureaucracy. Hauliers going to the continent have been intermittently stuck in rolling tailbacks since the UK left the European Union, with new paperwork and red tape causeing major disruption to trade.But ministers now say they have not been monitoring the length of delays – and that data collected by the port authorities themselves cannot be shared with them for “security” reasons.It comes as the Liberal Democrats called for the introduction of a new waiting time standard so that no lorry is left waiting more than 20 minutes at the border. Reports emerged this week of grassroots aid for Ukraine, including ambulances, getting stuck at the border because of export red tape imposed by Brexit.The problem of backed-up lorries got worse in January this year after a customs declaration grace period ended, resulting in a six-mile (10km) tailback on roads leading to the port.Asked for data on the delays at Dover, which processes 75 per cent of all roll-on-roll-off freight arriving by ferry from Europe, junior Conservative transport minister Robert Court said: “The Department does not hold data on the length of time spent by hauliers waiting to board a ferry at Dover. “The Port of Dover operates a ‘turn up and go service’ meaning HGVs will be placed on to the first available ferry when they arrive at the Port. “There may be an occasion when hauliers have to wait which may be due to peak periods of traffic at the Port.”A spokesperson for the Department for Transport added that “for security purposes, all data on waiting times is held centrally by the ports and it is at their discretion to publish this information”. The spokesperson said: “We work closely with the Kent Resilience Forum on its traffic management plans to ensure waiting times are kept to a minimum and that any delays are communicated to hauliers via the appropriate channels.”But Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Europe Layla Moran said the situation was “absurd” and called for ministers to get a grip on the situation with new targets.“At a time when people up and down the country are caught in a cost of living crisis, the Conservatives should be making trade easier. Instead businesses are tangled up in red tape and lorries are stuck in tailbacks, including those carrying vital aid to Ukraine,” she said.“We’re in the absurd situation where astronauts in outer space appear to know more about the length of the Dover tailbacks than our own government does. “It’s about time ministers got a handle on the length of the lorry queues in Dover. The Conservatives must bring forward waiting time standards and publish regular figures so we can hold them to account. If the Government has nothing to hide, they will have nothing to fear.”The Independent has approached the Port of Dover for further comment. More

The Liberal Democrats are to set out a roadmap for Britain to rejoin the European Union’s single market – reversing the most damaging parts of Brexit.The party’s spring conference is on Saturday expected to back a policy calling for the UK’s economic re-integration with the EU once “the ties of trust and friendship are renewed”.The plan is a response to amid widespread disruption to trade between Britain and the EU thanks to the government’s “hard” Brexit.New red tape introduced by leaving the EU has seen queues of lorries at ports, plummeting exports, and companies quitting the market altogether. A new policy paper backed by the liberal party’s leadership says that “the best option, bringing most benefits to the UK economy and society, is to seek to join the single market”.This would give UK businesses full access to the European Economic Area, reintroduce freedom of movement, and resolve outstanding issues with the Northern Ireland Brexit deal, the party says.The first step of the roadmap calls for “immediate” initiatives to repair the UK-EU relationship, including granting full settled status to EU citizens and ramping up the British presence in Brussels.The party would then gradually phase in UK-EU cooperation on issues like the Erasmus Plus university programme and the caring for of asylum seekers.It would then push for a series of reciprocal deals on issues like recognition of professional qualifications, fast-track work visas, and a veterinary agreement.Only then “once the trading relationship between the UK and the EU is deepened, and the ties of trust and friendship are renewed” would the party seek to join the single market, while remaining outside the European Union itself.Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrats’ Europe spokesperson, cited the war in Ukraine as an illustration of why the UK and EU “cannot afford to be disunited”.”For too long, our ties with Europe have been defined by petty squabbling and the government’s overly ideological approach,” she said.”British people and small businesses who are tangled in red tape are paying the price and they deserve better.“The reality is that we need a way forward which works for Britain – one where we stand with our allies, reduce costs for businesses and make people better off as a result.“Our comprehensive roadmap will start a new trading relationship with Europe – with British businesses and families benefiting as a result.”Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey this week made a pitch for a coalition with Labour after the next election – and has previously suggested he would not work with Boris Johnson’s Conservatives.Labour’s Europe policy is less ambitious than the liberals’, and calls relatively minor changes to the governemnt’s Brexit deal, like a new veterinary agreement. The party has declined to back single market membership or free movement – despite a pledge by Keir Starmer at the party’s leadership election.UK to EU exports fell 12 per cent between January and December of last year, compared to the previous year – with supply chain disruption, new trade barriers, and additional red tape caused by Brexit cited as the main reasons.Sales to the EU dropped more sharply in 2021 than exports to any other country in the world, according to the data. Non-EU exports were also down by 6 per cent – suggesting the rest of the world is not stepping in to fill the gap. More

Refugee workers have warned that Ukrainians seeking sanctuary from war may end up in hotel accommodation because of the “decimation” of official resettlement programmes.They warned that sponsorship schemes of the kind that is set to be launched by Michael Gove on Monday should supplement, not replace, large-scale state programmes, amid fears that generous communities were being expected to “pick up the pieces” in the absence of official help.Meanwhile, Labour accused the government of “dragging its feet” over the scheme, which was first announced by Boris Johnson a fortnight ago but was reportedly delayed by wrangling over the benefits to be granted to the new arrivals.Shadow communities secretary Lisa Nandy said it would be “unconscionable” if it was as cumbersome as a similar programme set up in 2016 during the Syrian war, which has taken up to two years to place refugees and has so far helped only around 660.The new humanitarian sponsorship scheme will allow individuals, charities, businesses and communities to open a route for Ukrainians without family links to enter the UK, by offering them accommodation and support, potentially for six months.There will be no cap on numbers, and government sources believe tens of thousands could take up the offer.A hotline and website will be set up for volunteers, and each offer of accommodation will be vetted for safety. They will then be matched with Ukrainians who have been through Home Office checks after applying for help.The plan was first announced by the prime minister on 1 March amid criticism over the UK’s failure to follow EU allies and simply waive visas for Ukrainians fleeing Vladmir Putin’s war.But its launch is understood to have been held up by a departmental spat over whether arrivals should be given full refugee status, entitling them to receive assistance including housing benefit and child benefit, or a temporary status offering more restricted support.It is understood that they will be allowed to work and access public services for an initial period of 12 months. It is not thought that hosts will receive payment for welcoming them in.The proposal has already prompted a generous response from the British public, with 1,500 offers of help received by the Sanctuary Foundation, and 500 in the past week alone by Reset, an organisation helping churches and charities sponsor refugees.Refugees at Home, a charity helping individuals provide accommodation, said applications had soared from 20 a fortnight to around 1,000 in the two weeks since the outbreak of war.But Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon said that the plans had so far been “vague at best”, with no detail about how the scheme would work or what funding would be provided by the government.“This is all the more frustrating given the clear desire from people up and down the country to support Ukrainian refugees in their communities, who would jump at the chance to do so through sponsorship,” said Mr Solomon.“For any scheme to be a success, we must see the government working quickly and effectively to have a clear plan in place, and funding allocated to enable councils, health services, schools and communities to best prepare for welcoming Ukrainian refugees through a comprehensive programme of support.”Charities have expressed doubt that the new sponsorship scheme can be scaled up quickly, since it will require a lot of time, training and paperwork to organise. Groups are expected to provide refugees with support accessing benefits and services, as well as a home.Kate Brown, co-director at Reset, said: “The existing Community Sponsorship scheme has shown how friends and neighbours can welcome refugees, and we believe there are many lessons that can be learnt from this amazing work.“However, the existing scheme takes time to prepare and get ready for, and it would not be suitable for responding to emergency situations [like] this.”Tim Naor Hilton, chief executive of Refugee Action, told The Independent that the failure to maintain previous resettlement programmes had left the UK unprepared for an influx of refugees, with the result that thousands fleeing Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover last summer are still in “temporary” hotel accommodation.Official data shows that the number of people who come to Britain under refugee resettlement schemes has plummeted by 75 per cent in the last four years, from 6,212 in 2017 to 1,578 in 2021.“Ministers have decimated our once-successful refugee resettlement programmes to the point where they have been left unable to respond effectively to the conflict in Ukraine,” said Mr Hilton.“By scrapping the UK’s long-term resettlement commitments, the government has left local authorities unable to invest in services and keep a stock of housing for refugees.“That is why 12,000 Afghan refugees are still stuck in hotels seven months on from the Afghanistan evacuation, and why we are deeply concerned that the government is considering similar forms of “temporary” accommodation for Ukrainians.”There are already 37,000 asylum seekers and Afghan refugees living in hotels awaiting more permanent homes, costing taxpayers almost £5m per day.Mr Hilton said that sponsorship schemes were “a wonderful way for communities to support refugees”.But he warned: “These schemes were only ever envisaged to be additional to large-scale government resettlement programmes that are the only way to manage much greater numbers at pace. And it’s being able to welcome high numbers of refugees at speed that is exactly what is needed in a crisis.“We are left with the impression that the government is leaving it to communities to pick up the pieces of a UK refugee protection system that has been run into the ground. This is simply not good enough.”He called on MPs to back House of Lords amendments to the government’s Refugees Bill, currently going through parliament, to create a commitment to resettle 10,000 people every year.Ms Nandy said: “Weeks after the invasion of Ukraine, the British people stand ready and willing to help while their government drags its feet. “Excessive bureaucracy and a lack of planning cannot be allowed to get in the way of sanctuary for people fleeing Putin. The government is behaving as if these were ordinary times. This is an extraordinary challenge and it calls for extraordinary measures.”Home Office minister Baroness Williams said 1,305 visas for Ukrainian refugees with family links in the UK had been issued by Thursday.Mr Johnson has said that the family route could eventually assist as many as 200,000 people, but with more than 2.5 million Ukrainians fleeing their homeland, the numbers so far taken by Britain are dwarfed by those accepted by neighbouring Poland, Hungary and Slovakia and the 250,000-plus who have fled elsewhere in the EU.The former head of the diplomatic service, Peter Ricketts, told the House of Lords on Friday that Britain must improve its “inadequate” cooperation with the EU to prevent scenes like those in Calais, when hundreds of Ukrainians were turned away as they tried to reach their families in the UK.“Given the number of traumatised Ukrainian citizens who are now leaving the country, this flow of refugees is bound to continue for months, conceivably years,” said Lord Ricketts.“We really do need to be working well with our EU partners if we’re going to avoid damaging the climate of confidence, which is so important for good law enforcement and judicial cooperation.”The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page. More

The UK has imposed sanctions on 386 members of the Russian parliament who voted in favour of Vladimir Putin’s actions in breakaway regions of Ukraine, foreign secretary Liz Truss has announced.The new measures will ban those listed from travelling to the UK, accessing assets held within the UK and doing business here.All are members of the Duma lower house of the Russian parliament who voted last month in favour of the ratification of treaties recognising the independence of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions and authorising the permanent presence of Russian military.The vote has been used by Putin as a pretext for his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, now in its 15th day.Plans to sanction the Duma members were announced shortly after the invasion but were delayed by legislation requiring an individual legal case to be drawn up against each of them. Challenged today over why the move had taken so long, when the same individuals were sanctioned by the EU on 22 February, a Downing Street spokesperson said the government wanted to ensure they had a “watertight cases” on all. It had been established that each “aided and abetted” Putin’s assault on Ukraine, he said.The spokesperson declined to say whether No 10 was aware of any of the individuals holding assets in the UK, but confirmed they would be allowed to travel to Britain.Ms Truss said: “We’re targeting those complicit in Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and those who support this barbaric war. We will not let up the pressure and will continue to tighten the screw on the Russian economy through sanctions.“Together with our allies, we stand firmly beside our Ukrainian friends. We will continue to support Ukraine with humanitarian aid, defensive weapons and diplomatic work to isolate Russia internationally.”Ms Truss added: We mean what we say. With our allies and partners, we will cripple the Russian economy and cut off Putin’s war machine.”Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy responded: “Labour welcomes that the Government has finally imposed sanctions on members of the Duma, but this should have happened weeks ago.”Ministers must urgently implement the other sanction measures Labour has been calling for to cut Putin and his criminal cronies out of our economic system.” The move follows Thursday’s blacklisting of Putin-linked oligarchs including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.It brings the total number of individuals, entities and subsidiaries sanctioned by the UK since the 24 February invasion to more than 500, including 18 oligarchs with a combined worth in excess of £30bn.The treaties of “friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance” between the Russian Federation and the so-called people’s republics of Lugansk and Donetsk were presented to the State Duma on 22 February by Putin and unanimously approved.They involved the recognition – without Ukraine’s agreement – of independent republics in areas of Ukrainian sovereign territory where separatist groups have been fighting to break away from Kyiv since the 2014 war which saw Russia seize Crimea.The Duma’s speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said at the time of the vote: “This is the only way to protect people, stop the fratricidal war, prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and bring peace.” More

The government will ask the British public to open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion amid intense criticism of its response to the refugee crisis.Levelling up secretary, Michael Gove, is expected to set out on Monday details of the new “sponsored” route to allow Ukrainians without family links to the UK to come to the country.The scheme was announced last week by Priti Patel, the home secretary, but details have been unclear amid reports of “different views” between Whitehall departments over the exact nature of the programme.According to the Daily Telegraph, a hotline and webpage will be made available where individuals, charities, businesses and community groups will be able to offer rooms to those escaping the conflict.It was added Ukrainians using this route to Britain would be granted permission to stay in the UK for an initial 12 months, with the ability to work, claim benefits and free healthcare.Those offering housing would have to agree to take the refugees for a minimum period – potentially six months – and demonstrate that they meet appropriate standards, the report said.According to Western officials, the number of people fleeing the Russian invasion – already around 2.5 million – could reach 4 million within days as the Kremlin continues to wage war.While many have fled to neighbouring countries such as Poland, Hungary and Moldova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK has estimated tens of thousands of people escaping the conflict may come to Britain.After days of criticism over the government’s handling of the situation, including the bureaucracy of the current visa routes and a lack of preparation despite weeks of warnings over a possible invasion, Boris Johnson insisted more details would be forthcoming next week. He told Sky News: “On Monday, you’ll get from the levelling up secretary, you’ll get the programme that will allow people to come in, so (if) people want to welcome (refugees) into their own homes, they can do so.”Speaking about the sponsorship scheme, the technology minister Chris Philp also added on Friday: “We’re going to be making announcements in the very near future about a scheme for UK local authorities, and indeed UK families, to welcome Ukrainian refugees, we’ve announced that principle and the details of how that scheme works will be laid out in the very near future.”The move comes after Ms Patel was urged to do more to make it easier for those coming to the UK through the existing family route and yesterday announced in a U-turn that from Tuesday people will be able to apply online for a visa and will no longer have to go to a processing centre to give their biometrics.But experts have warned there are still “major gaps” in the scheme and refugees would still have to go through a “chaotic and frustrating” online process.It also not clear how many of the 2.5 million Ukrainians to have fled the conflict so far have access to a passport.The British Red Cross said the quickest way of fixing the problem would be to remove the requirement for a visa — a move backed by the Ukrainian ambassador in London — while the Refugee Council said Ms Patel’s announcement “does not go anywhere near far enough”.A No 10 spokesperson told reporters on Friday: “We will set out details of the humanitarian sponsorship scheme soon… that will allow those Brits who can and want to, help and support Ukrainians to do so.“The Department for Levelling Up are working incredibly closely with the Home Office to make sure we can have up and running and soon as possible.“We want to make sure we can facilitate those Brits who kindly want to host Ukrainians, as well as businesses and charities to be able to sponsor people to come to the UK. Both departments are working tirelessly to do that”.The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015.Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page. More

The government has issued a plea to military veterans not to go to Ukraine, amid growing evidence of former soldiers travelling to the country to help in the fight against Russian invasion.Veterans minister Leo Docherty wrote to military charities seeking their help in dissuading any ex-servicemen and women from going ahead with plans to travel to the eastern European state.He said they should instead be encouraged to support charitable and fundraising efforts to provide help to those under assault by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.Boris Johnson on Thursday warned that serving members of the armed forces who make unauthorised visits to Ukraine to fight will face courts martial on return, and Mr Docherty warned that veterans too could find themselves falling foul of the law.And he said that “well-meaning” Brits travelling to the war zone could end up straining the resources of Ukrainian defenders.The Independent’s defence and security editor Kim Sengupta, who is in Ukraine, has spoken with a British Army reservist who is among a number of serving and former members of the armed forces to help in the struggle against Russian invaders as part of the International Legion.The non-commissioned officer, identified only by his middle name Mark, said: “They are putting up a great fight, and we can help.”In today’s letter, Mr Docherty told military charities: “I am asking for your assistance in diverting and dissuading any travel attempts that come to your attention.“The UK government’s position remains that travelling to Ukraine to fight, or to assist others engaged in the conflict, may amount to offences against UK legislation and could lead to prosecution.“Ukraine needs equipment and funds rather than volunteers who, although well meaning, will put further pressure on stretched resources. I am very concerned about the risk to individuals in what is a dangerous situation.”Mr Docherty said: “We know that Russia’s illegal invasion has rightly brought out strong feelings of support for the Ukrainian people.“Veterans always step up in times of need, but they must channel their skills, experience and passion into legal routes of support for Ukraine and not engage in the conflict.“There are many ways that we all can support the people of Ukraine, including through donating money to charity.”The British Army has confirmed that a small number of soldiers had gone to Ukraine. Some of the regulars and reservists have taken leave to do so, only one has simply left his duties.Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the Chief of the Defence Staff, has told service personnel that the “sound of gunfire” was not “something you want to rush to”, it would be “unlawful and unhelpful” to do so and urged them to support Ukraine in other ways. More

Johnson ‘fears’ Putin will use chemical weapons in UkraineThe UK government has sanctioned 386 members of the Duma – the lower house of the Russian parliament- for their support to recognise the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent entities.It ratified treaties in February which recognised the independence of the two regions, which are part of Ukrainian sovereign territory.They also authorised the permanent presence of Russian military there, which the FCDO has said acted as a pretext for Russia’s invasion.Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “We’re targeting those complicit in Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and those who support this barbaric war. We will not let up the pressure and will continue to tighten the screw on the Russian economy through sanctions.“Together with our allies, we stand firmly beside our Ukrainian friends. We will continue to support Ukraine with humanitarian aid, defensive weapons and diplomatic work to isolate Russia internationally.”Meanwhile, technology minister Chris Philp has warned president Vladimir Putin will face a “dramatic increased response” from the West if he deploys chemical weapons in Ukraine.Show latest update

1647008450Sadiq Khan applauds judge’s condemnation of Met’s ‘unacceptable’ conduct at Sarah Everard vigilMayor of London Sadiq Khan has welcomed the High Court’s condemnation of the Met for breaching the rights of the Reclaim These Streets group who cancelled a vigil for Sarah Everard.Mr Khan said: “The murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer damaged the confidence of Londoners in the police. In the wake of such a horrendous crime, the policing of the vigil in her memory eroded trust in the police further.“I was very clear with the Met at the time, that the scenes we saw at the vigil were unacceptable. I welcome today’s judgment.“A series of events in the past year have damaged confidence in the police and urgent and wide-reaching action is needed to restore it. I remain committed to doing everything in my power to hold the police to account and working with the Met to deliver on the changes needed.“We know tens of thousands of dedicated Met officers have gone above and beyond throughout this pandemic – but it is clear today that there are still serious lessons to be learned in how their duties are carried out.”Emily Atkinson11 March 2022 14:201647007716Ireland sends blood bags and medical masks to Ukraine Ireland has sent 4,000 blood bags and 50,000 medical masks to Ukraine in a bid to aid the health service amid the ongoing Russian invasion.The Irish Blood Transfusion Service 4,000 blood bags were donated by and dispatched to Ukraine on Monday, while 10,000 bio-protection suits, 50,000 medical-grade masks and more than 2,500 litres of disinfectant were sent today.Emily Atkinson11 March 2022 14:081647006540Government warns military veterans not to go and fight in UkraineVeterans minister Leo Docherty wrote to military charities seeking their help in dissuading any ex-servicemen and women from going ahead with plans to travel to the eastern European state.He said they should instead be encouraged to support charitable and fundraising efforts to provide help to those under assault by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports:Emily Atkinson11 March 2022 13:491647005730No 10 reminds Chelsea fans of Abramovich’s alleged links to PutinA spokesperson for prime minister Boris Johnson has reminded Chelsea fans of the allegation that Roman Abramovich has supported Putin after they apparently chanted his name.He said: “We understand the strength of feelings that Chelsea fans will have and the passion for their club, but it’s important to remember that these sanctions are being imposed on those who have provided support to the Putin regime and the brutal assault on Ukraine.”Emily Atkinson11 March 2022 13:351647005043No 10 declines to say if sanctioned Russian lawmakers have UK assetsDowning Street has refused to comment on whether any of the 386 sanctioned members of the Russian Duma have any assets in Britain.The prime minister’s spokesperson said: “The measures we put in place will ensure that any assets they do have in the UK will be frozen and they will no longer be able to travel to the UK or do any business here, but I wouldn’t go through the details of individuals.”Emily Atkinson11 March 2022 13:241647004498Downing St warns of ‘robust’ response to chemical weaponsNo 10 have has warned of a “robust” response against Russia if the Moscow deploys chemical weapons in Ukraine.Asked how the UK responded to chemical attacks before, a spokesman for Boris Johnson said: “You saw after the Salisbury poisoning the UK’s response as well as the response of other nations.“But I wouldn’t get into hypotheticals, you’ve seen what the prime minister said about the use of chemical weapons and the fact we’re calling for Russia not to use them.“The international community has always responded robustly following the use of chemical weapons, I’m not going to get into hypotheticals and try and look into the future, but you’ve seen what the prime minister’s said and we continue to call for Russia not to use chemical weapons.”Asked about technology minister Chris Philp’s warning of an “increased response” in the event of a chemical attack, the spokesman said: “You heard what the minister said this morning, I think that mirrors what I’ve just said, the international community has always responded robustly.”Emily Atkinson11 March 2022 13:141647003807UK issues 1,305 visas to Ukrainian refugeesAs of Thursday morning, 1,305 visas for Ukrainian refugees had been issued, home office minister Baroness Williams of Trafford said. “Those figures are going up rapidly and that is a good thing,” she told the House of Lords.Emily Atkinson11 March 2022 13:031647003033Watch: Keir Starmer urges government to go ‘further and faster’ with Russian sanctionsKeir Starmer urges government to go ‘further and faster’ with Russian sanctionsEmily Atkinson11 March 2022 12:501647001533Ukrainian refugees: How can I take part in the new sponsorship scheme?Britons will soon be asked to open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing their country, as part of a new “sponsored” humanitarian route to allow more refugees to travel to the UK.The route will give Ukrainians without family links to the UK the opportunity come to the country in order to escape the war against Russia.It comes after the government faced criticism for its response to the refugee crisis. Michael Gove, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary, is expected to set out details of the new route on Monday.Here is Kate Ng with everything we know about how the scheme will work and how you can get involved:Emily Atkinson11 March 2022 12:251647000033Britain to offer 100,000 Ukranian refugee children online lessonsEducation secretary Nadhim Zahawi has announced that 100,000 refugee pupils will be offered online lessons as they transition to “life and safety” in the UK.Lessons will also be available translated into Ukrainian or Russian, he added, as some refugee pupils will speak Russian as a first language.Addressing the Association of School and College Leaders’ annual conference in Birmingham on Friday, he said: “We will continue to support Ukrainians in any way we can.“I know schools are doing what they can to support their students make sense of what they are seeing.”“And we are working with schools to ensure that the tens of thousands of Ukrainian children we will welcome to our shores will have a place in our education system.“To support schools’ efforts, I’m delighted to announce that Oak National Academy has today rolled out an auto-translate function across all 10,000 of its online lessons.“This will allow Ukrainian children arriving in the UK to access education in their native language as they transition into life and safety in the UK.”Emily Atkinson11 March 2022 12:00 More

“Fundamental questions remain” over the government’s plan to draft the military in to curb the rise in Channel crossings – a decision that appears to have been “borne of desperation”, cross-party MPs have warned.A report by the Defence Committee lambasts the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for “squabbling” over the use of “pushbacks tactic” to deal with small boats trying to reach England from France, calling exchanges in the Commons and on Twitter “deeply unedifying”.Ministers announced in January that the Royal Navy was to be put in charge of cross-Channel counter-migration activity on the English coast, known as Operation Isotrope, taking over from Border Force to take “operational primacy” of the situation.Defence minister James Heappey said last month that the operation would seek to prevent the arrival of small boats “on their own terms” in the UK while protecting lives at sea, adding the MoD was working closely with the Home Office and others.But a new report from the Defence Committee has called Operation Isotrope an “ill-defined” policy announced “prematurely” and which “threatens to tarnish the Royal Navy’s reputation”.The committee warns that the MoD, and especially the Royal Navy, was “already over-stretched and under-resourced”, and that the additional responsibility would place “huge pressure on a department with a demanding-enough brief”.“The decision to call in the armed forces to address migrant crossings has far-reaching implications across government, yet fundamental questions remain over Operation Isostrope. The services cannot become a fourth blue light service,” said Mr Spellar.“In order to meet the demands of this new policy, we should be under no illusion that sacrifices to defence will be made elsewhere. The government should set clear parameters for Operation Isotrope and announce a definitive end date and handover back to the Border Force.”Following the announcement of the MoD’s involvement, the armed forces minister told the House of Commons three times that the Royal Navy and Royal Marines would not engage in “pushbacks” – a controversial tactic whereby small boats are physically turned around.But two weeks later, home secretary Priti Patel told the Home Affairs Select Committee that while the armed forces minister had given his “view”, the operational work between the two departments was “a work in progress”.This resulted in a tweet from the MoD press office stating: “The Royal Navy and the Royal Marines will not be using push back tactics in the English Channel, although a military commander will retain the existing ability to instruct Border Force to use them when appropriate.”The committee questions whether announcing the policy before agreeing the detail was a “wise move or rather one borne of desperation”, adding that it hopes “lessons will be learned” from this experience.John Spellar, vice-chair of the Defence Committee, said: “The policy announcement left much to be desired. Squabbling between the great offices of state severely undermines public confidence in government. Government policies should be carefully planned and considered, not rushed out to quash less-than-favourable frontpages.The report also warns that the police “threatens to tarnish the Royal Navy’s reputation”, as it has “other, more pressing priorities” may be legally unable to be effective in the role, instead becoming a “taxi service” for migrants crossing the Channel.It comes after, one week after the plans were announced, the Defence Committee sought to question government representatives about the plans during an evidence session – but the MoD declined to put forward a minister or official.The report adds: “The fact that, six weeks on from the initial announcement, the government is still unable (or unwilling) to answer questions about this issue does not inspire confidence.”The committee has called on the government to set out which existing Royal Navy commitments will be given up in order to divert resources to the operation – and for a “clear end point” at which the operation will be handed back over to the Border Force.The MoD has been approached for comment. More