UK Politics

A group of 48 Ukrainian orphans will be given sanctuary in the UK after Priti Patel bowed to pressure to remove red tape blocking their arrival.The fate of the children triggered a political row when the SNP accused the Home Office of placing unnecessary barriers in the way of them flying in after they had been bussed into Poland.“There is a plane ready and waiting in Poland to bring these orphans to the UK on Friday,” Westminster leader Ian Blackford told the Commons, demanding the government act.On Wednesday, the deputy prime minister Dominic Raab denied bureaucracy was to blame, arguing it was right to consider “family reunion options in the region” first.But Ms Patel has now acted, announcing: “We are working urgently with Poland to ensure the children’s swift arrival to the UK.”A charity called Dnipro Kids, established by fans of Hibernian Football Club, evacuated the children from orphanages in Ukraine – and also accused the Home Office of “dragging its heels”.The charity has brought groups of orphans to the club’s ground in Edinburgh, to watch matches, while charity workers have also travelled to Ukraine.Mr Blackford said he was “delighted” with the breakthrough, but said achieving it had been “more difficult than it needed to be”.”It’s essential that the UK government learns lessons and removes unnecessary barriers and delays to supporting displaced children and families,” he said.”Not all children will be in the position of having guardians and adults to support them, and the Home Office must ensure there are safe, smooth and quick ways for them to access visas and reach safety.”Ms Patel added: “I have been working directly with the Ukrainian government and asked for their permission to bring these children to the UK.I am extremely grateful to the authorities in Ukraine, who have now confirmed to me that the children can come here.” More

Ben Wallace has revealed he has been contacted by an imposter claiming to be the Ukrainian prime minister, but “terminated the call” after becoming suspicious.In what appears to be a breach of security, the defence secretary said the caller claimed to be the country’s prime minister and posed “several misleading questions”.It was not immediately clear how an imposter was able to reach Mr Wallace, or whether they had first contacted the Ministry of Defence (MoD).Posting on social media, the cabinet minister said: “Today an attempt was made by an imposter claiming to be Ukrainian PM to speak with me.“He posed several misleading questions and after becoming suspicious I terminated the call.“No amount of Russian disinformation, distortion and dirty tricks can distract from Russia’s human rights abuses and illegal invasion of Ukraine. A desperate attempt.”The Ministry of Defence (MoD) told The Independent they were unable to comment on the incident, but added a departmental source said an immediate inquiry into the call had been ordered.Accounts suggest the video call was arranged in the wake of an email from an address claiming to be an aide at the Ukrainian embassy. The note was sent to a government department and then forwarded to the MoD, sources close to Mr Wallace have assured The Independent.The defence secretary was then connected to the “prime minister of Ukraine” via Microsoft’s video conferencing software, Teams, flanked on screen by the country’s flag.After exchanging introductions and offering thanks for British support, it is suggested Mr Wallace became suspicious as the man began posing questions regarding UK policy and eventually urged the cabinet minister to shout slogans.Government sources are convinced the “dirty trick” was a Russian hoax due to the level of sophistication involved in pulling off the stunt.Senior MoD sources fear Moscow may attempt to splice together Mr Wallace’s remarks in an attempt to humiliate him.Home Secretary Priti Patel has since replied to Mr Wallace’s tweet, claiming to have also been contacted by pranksters this week.She said: “This also happened to me earlier this week. Pathetic attempt at such difficult times to divide us. We stand with Ukraine.”The duping of Mr Wallace and Ms Patel is reminiscent of a 2018 hoax which saw Boris Johnson tricked into discussing British-Russian relations with callers posing as the Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan.An audio clip was shared online by two Russians, Lexus and Vovan, which appeared to show the then-foreign secretary discussing the UK’s dealings with Moscow and the poisoning of the Skripals with the pair pretending to be Mr Pashinyan.The foreign office said the current UK prime minister had ended the call when he realised it was a hoax and issued a stern statement condemning the “childish actions” of the duo.He reportedly said: “I think it is very important for the Russians to know that the UK is absolutely determined to stand firm against them and we will continue to tighten the squeeze on some of the oligarchs that surround Putin.”Sanctions against oligarchs have been extremely useful, Mr Johnson said, adding: “You throw a stone in Kensington and you hit an oligarch. But some of them are close to Putin and some of them aren’t.”It comes after the defence secretary announced on Thursday that the UK will deploy the Sky Sabre missile defence system and around 100 personnel to Poland.No 10 have since confirmed the deployment designed to support “the Polish armed forces at the request of the Polish government”.The prime minister’s spokesperson said: “It is, as ever, a purely defensive capability which we are providing on a bilateral basis to Poland.“It will remain under UK control at all times,” he said, adding it was a “short-term deployment.” More

Public outrage over the case of the black schoolgirl who was strip-searched by police shows that Britain is “a country that cares about ethnic minorities”, the equalities minister has said.Kemi Badenoch was challenged over the case of Child Q as she sought to defend the government’s new Inclusive Britain strategy – based on the highly-controversial Sewell report which denied the existence of structural racism.Labour said the government’s new strategy to tackle racial inequality “fails to deliver” for black children – citing the case of Child Q, the black schoolgirl who was strip searched by the Metropolitan Police.Shadow equalities minister Taiwo Owatemi said: “This strategy fails to deliver for Child Q, a 15-year-old black girl from Hackney who faced the most appalling treatment at the hands of the police, with racism very likely to have been an influencing factor.”However, Ms Badenoch replied: “What we do know is that everybody is rightly appalled and outraged by what happened to Child Q. That is an example of a country that cares about ethnic minorities, and about children in the system.”Three Met officers are now under investigation for misconduct over their roles in either conducting or supervising the strip-search of a black schoolgirl in Hackney – with an official report finding that racism “likely played a factor”.The minister of equalities described the case as an “appalling incident” and said she was glad the Met had apologised, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct are now investigating the issue.Ms Badenoch told MPs: “We have systems in place to ensure that when things go wrong we correct them. What we cannot do is stop any bad thing from happening to anyone in the country at any time.”Labour’s Diane Abbott, the MP Hackney North and Stoke Newington, challenged the minister to explain why she believed structural racism did not exist.Pointing out the government’s strategy sought to “bridge divides” between the police and communities, Ms Abbott added: “Will the minister explain how she thinks strip searching black schoolgirls helps to bridge the divide between the police and communities?”Ms Badenoch responded: “No-one has said racism does not exist. No-one has said there are no problem in the system … This action provides even more things we can do to support communities to hold local police to account.”The equalities minister added: “We mustn’t forget that police are saving the lives of young people all across this country – they save the lives of young black children, brown, Asian, all communities.”Ms Badenoch said she believed that the UK is “fairest and most open-minded country in the world” as she set out the new strategy by Boris Johnson’s government – and insisted that “most of these racial disparities are not driven by individual acts of prejudice”.Labour said the strategy was “hopelessly ineffectively and short-sighted” since it was based on flawed Sewell report.“If both the Sewell report and this strategy fails to identify the root causes of racial and ethnic disparities then how can either of them hope to tackle them?” asked Ms Owatemi.The Labour frontbencher said the government’s policies were “too weak and too slow” and would “fail to deliver” – condemning the failure to bring in mandatary ethnicity pay gap reporting for businesses.Commitments in the Inclusive Britain strategy include revamping the history curriculum. There was no mention of slavery, however, with the government promising to set up “a diverse panel of historians to develop a new knowledge-rich model history”. More

A former US secretary of state has attacked the “blood money” used to help secure the freedom of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, as the payment kicked off a trans-Atlantic row.Mike Pompeo also accused the UK of “appeasement” of Iran – warning the £393.8m would be used to fund terrorism, not be ringfenced for “humanitarian purposes” as London is claiming.The comments reflect anger over the fate of Morad Tahbaz, a US, British and Iranian citizen whom the US was also seeking to release, but who remains in Iran.Boris Johnson’s spokesman was forced to deny the UK was “ratting” on an agreement not to leave Mr Tahbaz behind, when Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were freed to fly out.Mr Pompeo, who was Donald Trump’s secretary of state, posted his attack on Twitter, saying: “The UK priced taking & holding its citizens hostage at $530 million.“We prevented paying blood money – not rewarding hostage-takers. That cash will terrorize Israel, UK & US. Sadly, Iran, w/Russia & China, is rolling the West.”Mr Pompeo, a possible Republican candidate to run for president in 2024, added: “Appeasement feels good until it fails – it always does.”Mr Johnson’s spokesman defended the £393.8m payment, for Chieftain tanks promised to Iran in the 1970s but not delivered, insisting the release of detainees was “not contingent” on it.Asked if the UK had “ratting” on its ally, he replied: “No. We worked closely with US counterparts whenever possible.”The clash came as Downing Street also faced questions about how it could be sure that the £393.8m will fund humanitarian spending, amid scepticism.It is expected to be held by a bank as an independent third party, to be released for tightly-defined purposes only, but No 10 insisted no details could be given.“It is difficult position because it is confidential, so I’m unable to go into exactly how that money’s been ringfenced for the purchase of humanitarian goods,” the spokesman said.He added “there is rigorous oversight of this process”, but was unable to say who was responsible for that oversight – saying the confidentiality was “mutually agreed”.On Mr Pompeo’s criticism, the spokesman said: “We’ve always acknowledged this was money that we owed.“We have said we would settle the IMS debt [a private company International Military Services] in parallel. We have done that. It is not contingent on the release of any detainees.”Mr Tahbaz was released from prison on furlough, but the Iranian government refused to let him leave the country.James Cleverly, a Foreign Office minister, said: “He also has American nationality, which has in the eyes of the Iranians – not in ours – made his case more complicated. We will continue to work to secure his release.” More

More than 1,000 civil servant jobs are at risk of being axed after the Department for Work and Pensions unveiled plans to close dozens of offices across the UK. The government will close 42 DWP sites by the end of June, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said – a move which it said would put at least 1,100 jobs at risk.Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, DWP minister David Rutley told MPs that meetings were being held with affected staff on Thursday. Labour claimed up to 3,000 jobs could be at risk as part of the plans.Mr Rutley said that the government would “see what opportunities there are within DWP” and other departments for affected staff, and added that the change “does not impact job centres and the customer-facing interactions”.Labour accused the government of “levelling down”, saying several of the planned closures would affect areas including northern England.Justin Madders, the party’s shadow business minister, said: “It looks as if the Department for Work and Pensions doesn’t believe in levelling up, it doesn’t believe in its own rhetoric on jobs, and it doesn’t believe in keeping people in work.“We hear that offices are going to be closed in Stoke, in Southend, in Peterborough, in Chesterfield and Aberdeen, in Kirkcaldy, in Barrow, Bishop Auckland, Doncaster and Burnley, taking jobs out of these communities.”“We’ve heard up to 12,000 jobs might be affected, but how many of those workers will be able to find new jobs locally within the department?” he said, also asking if the minister can guarantee there would be no compulsory redundancies.”Mr Rutley accused the PCS of breaking an embargo by announcing the closures and said the DWP would publish a written statement to parliament on Friday morning. More

Equating Saudi Arabia to Putin is ‘ridiculously distasteful’, says James CleverlyBoris Johnson’s government has ditched plans to limit MPs’ earnings from second jobs in a major rethink over the issue which sparked a sleaze scandal at Westminster, claiming that a pay cap would unfairly stop parliamentarians doing jobs which do not bring “undue influence”.The move – marking a stark reversal in tone from comments made by ministers during the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal – came as transport secretary Grant Shapps announced the government was investigating a number of yachts linked to Russian oligarchs currently moored in the UK.Meanwhile, Mr Johnson was landing back in the UK empty-handed this morning, having failing to secure commitments from Saudi Arabia to step up oil production to ease cost-of-living pressures, on a visit overshadowed by the announcement of three further executions in the desert kingdom. Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of “going cap in hand from dictator to dictator” in his search for oil – but Foreign Office minister James Cleverly claimed it was “ridiculously distasteful” to compare Saudi Arabia with Russia.Show latest update

1647528460Outrage over strip-searching of black girl shows UK ‘cares about ethnic minorities’, says ministerPublic outrage over the case of the black schoolgirl who was strip-searched by the Metropolitan Police shows that Britain is “a country that cares about ethnic minorities”, the equalities minister has said.Labour’s shadow equalities minister Taiwo Owatemi said the government’s new strategy to tackle racial inequality “fails to deliver” for black children – citing the case of Child Q, the black schoolgirl who “faced the most appalling treatment at the hands of the police, with racism very likely to have been an influencing factor”.However, Ms Badenoch replied: “What we do know is that everybody is rightly appalled and outraged by what happened to Child Q. That is an example of a country that cares about ethnic minorities, and about children in the system.”Ms Badenoch said she believed that the UK is “fairest and most open-minded country in the world” as she set out the new strategy by Boris Johnson’s government – and insisted that “most of these racial disparities are not driven by individual acts of prejudice”.Labour said the strategy was “hopelessly ineffectively and short-sighted” since it was based on flawed Sewell report. My colleague Adam Forrest has the full story here:Andy Gregory17 March 2022 14:471647528112Sir Keir Starmer attacks Boris Johnson for ‘breaking his promise yet again’ on MPs second jobsSir Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of “breaking his promise yet again” over today’s U-turn on a pay cap on MPs’ second jobs – as proposed during the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal.“Yet again we’ve got this prime minister saying one thing and doing another. He said he was going to deal with second jobs, there was going to be this cap – that was his proposal in the height of this scandal of his own making,” Sir Keir told the BBC.“And now, as soon as he gets the opportunity, he’s breaking his promise yet again. It goes to the heart of the problem with this prime minister, which is this problem of trust and moral authority.”Andy Gregory17 March 2022 14:411647526899People of Britain have never known the truth about Russian money, Labour MP saysWelcoming the government’s new clampdown on lawsuits – known by the acronym, “Slapps” – which are used to silence journalists, Labour’s Chris Bryant told the Commons: “This is all really good stuff and I’m delighted that we are moving in the right direction.”The MP for Rhondda added: “The real trouble that we have had in this country is that the people of Britain have never known the truth about Russian money. “Because journalists, broadcasters, sometimes politicians and government have been too frightened to go to court because they know that the pockets on the other side are so deep, that they are terrified that they will either lose their own home or they will lose their business, or the government will lose millions of pounds on behalf of the British taxpayer.”He asked Dominic Raab whether the UK will need new legislation on the seizure of goods, saying: “We will need to seize assets … if you just take Chelsea Football Club, we will not be able to sell it on until we have seized it.”The justice secretary replied that Mr Bryant “has been one of the leading lights in relation to Slapps and I will certainly look very carefully at the, I think, important specific points he has made.”Andy Gregory17 March 2022 14:211647526321Government’s new proposals to tackle oligarch ‘lawfare’ branded ‘too little, too late’ by LabourThe government’s proposals to clamp down on Russian oligarchs allegedly “abusing” the UK courts system to “muzzle” journalists and other individuals are “too little, too late”, Labour has warned.Outlining his new proposals in the Commons to reform libel laws in order to tackle Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (Slapps), Dominic Raab said that those with “blood on their hands” will no longer be free to “hide in the shadows”.But shadow justice secretary Steve Reed said: “These measures, welcome though they are, are too little, too late. Labour called on the Government to fix this problem way back in January … The Conservatives’ track record is, frankly, problematic. They ignored the Leveson Inquiry when it called for low-cost litigation for claimants and defendants in media cases.“Instead, they sided with Putin’s oligarchs against British journalists and campaigners, until it was far too late.”Mr Raab retorted that it was “a bit surprising on an issue of such seriousness that he resorted to the usual partisan political points”, adding: “In fact, in January when he said the Labour Party called for this, the ministers in the Ministry of Justice had already made clear that we were actively working on proposals and, indeed, I had made it clear in the House in February.”Andy Gregory17 March 2022 14:121647525852No 10 says limits on MPs second jobs is for parliament to decideThe decision on whether to place limits on second jobs for MPs should be up to parliamentarians, not the government, Downing Street has said.In a submission to the Commons standards committee – currently consulting on new rules for second jobs – the government said its “initial view” was “that the imposition of fixed constraints such as time limits on the amount of time that Members can spend on outside work would be impractical”.Asked about ministers’ previous comments supporting a time limit, Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: “You will remember we proposed a ban on services as a parliamentary strategist, adviser or consultant, and likewise proposed for having appropriate safeguards to ensure MPs are serving their constituents both in constituencies and in the House. And that’s what we set out in our response.”He added: “At the time of this issue, there are a number of options considered by ministers, government, and another proposed by others as well. We set out what the government position was at the time and it’s in line with what was published by the committee yesterday.”He said: “We’ve set out our position and it’s now for the committee, and then the House, to come to a view.”Andy Gregory17 March 2022 14:041647525389Government must help P&O staff, says LabourLouise Haigh MP, Labour’s shadow transport secretary, said P&O’s “scandalous” decision serve notice to 800 staff was “a betrayal of the workers that kept this country stocked throughout the pandemic”.She added:”The Conservative government must not give the green light to this appalling practice, and must act to secure the livelihoods of these workers.”My colleagues on The Independent’s travel desk are providing live updates on the situation here:Andy Gregory17 March 2022 13:561647524257Starmer says it seems PM ‘achieved very little’ with Saudi Arabia tripAsked whether he would have gone to Saudi Arabia to ask for Riyadh to produce more oil if he was Britain’s leader, Sir Keir Starmer, said: “The prime minister has achieved, it seems, very little out of this trip.”Speaking to broadcasters in central London, the Labour leader said: “While of course we all want the prices to come down – there is a crisis – you don’t have a strategy that is built around going cap in hand from one dictator to another dictator.”Andy Gregory17 March 2022 13:371647523357Raab: Crackdown on oligarchs abusing courts is ‘David and Goliath struggle’Dominic Raab has set out plans to stop Russian oligarchs “abusing” the courts to silence critics by changing rules on so-called Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), Adam Forrest reports.“It’s the modern-day struggle David and Goliath – individual journalists, authors and academics pitted against oligarchs, some of whom, some, bankroll the Kremlin,” he told MPs.“We cannot and we will not allow our courts and our justice system to be used by those kleptocrats to intimidate and harass those who lift a lid on their murky dealing and wrongdoings.”Andy Gregory17 March 2022 13:221647522337DWP to close 42 UK offices – putting more than 1,000 jobs at riskMore than 1,000 civil servant jobs are at risk of being axed after the Department for Work and Pensions unveiled plans to close dozens of offices across the UK.The government will close 42 DWP sites by the end of June, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said – a move which it said would put at least 1,100 jobs at risk.My colleague Matt Mathers has the story here:Andy Gregory17 March 2022 13:051647521624More than 150,000 register interest in sponsoring Ukrainian refugees, No 10 saysMore than 150,000 people have now registered their interest in the Homes for Ukraine scheme, according to No 10Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said that “we will see what that translates to” when the programme formally launches on Friday.He said 6,100 visas had been issued through the Ukraine Family Scheme as of Wednesday afternoon.Andy Gregory17 March 2022 12:53 More

A Conservative transport minister has prompted ridicule after suggesting that people worried about the latest rise in train fares should buy a railcard.In response to a parliamentary question about this month’s record 3.8 per cent rise Wendy Morton said passengers could use the cards which “offer discounts against most rail fares”.But campaigners branded the comments “remarkably out of touch” and “ludicrous” and pointed out that most people could not use railcards as they are restricted to certain groups and journeys. This year’s 3.8 per cent fare rise is the fastest in nearly a decade, and follows a 2.6 per cent rise pushed through by the government in 2021.Ministers say the increase is lower than it could be because inflation has risen further since the increase was agreed – but the change will still see season ticket prices increase by nearly £200 on some popular routes.The government pegs fares to RPI inflation, meaning that cost of living increases elsewhere in the economy result in the cost of rail travel also rising.Asked by shadow rail minister Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi about the fare rise’s impact on passenger numbers transport minister Ms Morton said:”Whilst the change will affect each passenger slightly differently, we have a number of railcards in place that offer discounts against most rail fares.”She added: “We have saved a generation of passengers at least a third off their fares through the 16-17 and 26-30 ‘millennial’ railcard and went even further in November 2020 by extending these savings to former servicemen and women through a new Veterans Railcard.”We have protected passengers by delaying these fare rises by two months and, even then, opting for a figure well below current inflation rates.”Labour shadow minister Mr Dhesi told The Independent: “The implication that railcards remedy ever-increasing rail fares is remarkably out of touch, even for this Conservative government. Railcards are certainly not available to everyone and should not be relied upon to ensure passengers can afford a train ticket.”The cost of living crisis is taking larger and larger chunks out of hard-working people’s wages. So, instead of cutting services and raising fares, Government should focus on investing in our network to make it more affordable, reliable and frequent.”Railcards are available for people aged 16-30, pensioners, people with disabilities, armed forces veterans and those travelling as couples agreed in advance. But even where available the cards, which generally cost £30 a year, only give a third off certain journeys. The 16-30 railcard, for instance, one of the most common, has a £12 minimum fare on journeys made before 10am on weekdays – making it largely useless for commuters.Sarah Olney, the Liberal Democrats’ transport spokesperson said: “The Government is totally out of touch with commuters, who are facing soaring ticket prices but reduced services.“The suggestion that everyone struggling with rising rail costs should simply get a railcard is ludicrous, particularly because they don’t discount travel at peak times or reduce the cost of season tickets.“Ministers must cancel the imminent rise in fares and issue a five year freeze – to protect families who rely on our rail network.”Alice Ridley from Campaign for Better Transport said: “Unfortunately most people don’t qualify for a railcard so the fare rise will hit people’s pockets when they can least afford it and will do nothing to encourage people to choose the train and leave their cars at home, something we all need to be doing more of if we want to tackle climate change and boost the economy.” More

Boris Johnson’s government is now investigating yachts linked to Russian oligarchs currently moored in the UK, the transport secretary has said.Grant Shapps told MPs they were now blocked from leaving, and revealed that 10 Moscow-linked ships had been turned away as part of a ban on Russian vessels in British waters.The cabinet minister said investigations into a “small number” of luxury yachts was part of ongoing action to “clamp down on Russian interests in the UK”.He told the Commons: “We have detained private jets that we believe are owned by or connected to Putin’s cronies.”Mr Shapps added: “I can confirm that we’re investigating a small number of yachts moored in this country we suspect are also linked to Russian oligarchs. I have taken steps to ensure that are unable to depart and investigations are ongoing.”The transport secretary added: “I can reveal ten Russian-linked ships have been turned away or redirected on their course, and eight ships or their companies had severed their Russian ties.”Mr Shapps also congratulated members of the Unite union for refusing to unload Russian oil at Stanlow in Cheshire. “It came after I wrote to all the ports and asked them not to allow in Russian ships and Russian-connected ships.”The transport secretary added: “This country is the only country in the world to have a Russian-connected ban on our ports and we look forward to other countries joining our lead.”The government had faced criticism for being too slow to impose individual sanctions on Russian oligarchs linked to Vladimir Putin’s regime – and freeze assets such as yachts and private jets – since the invasion of Ukraine.Last week Mr Shapps used new aviation sanctions to impound a private jet in Hampshire, as government officials try to establish the plane’s links to a Russian oligarch.The minister said: “There is one such aircraft on the ground at the moment at Farnborough that I’ve essentially impounded whilst we carry out further investigations.”Meanwhile, Mr Shapps said his officials will be having “urgent discussions” with P&O Ferries on Thursday, as he expressed concern at the immediate suspension of sailings.The Independent earlier revealed that P&O Ferries had sent its ferries back to port, pausing services in preparation for “a company announcement” later on Thursday.Labour’s shadow transport minister Mike Kane asked Mr Shapps about potential jobs losses amid reports that staff could be replaced with foreign labour. “We don’t want those crews replaced by foreign cheap labour,” he said.“I am concerned with this news which is breaking on P&O Ferries,” Mr Shapps told the Commons. “I understand they have temporarily paused their operations and that’s causing disruption at the short straits – Calais-Dover – as well as some other ports.”The minister added: “We’ll be taking steps later today – including ensuring that my officials will be having urgent discussions with P&O about the situation, particularly of concern for their workers.”Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he would allow an “emergency statement” from the government on the matter later on Thursday if needed.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