UK Politics

Ukraine ambassador to Britain has revealed that he struggled to get a visa for his wife to come with him to Britain when he was appointed.Vadym Prystaiko said the UK’s immigration policy had been bureaucratic and out of line with the rest of Europe “even before the war”.It comes as the UK refuses to grant open door entry to Ukrainians fleeting the Russian invasion of their country, even as the rest of Europe drops all entry requirements. Mr Prystaiko, a former foreign minister and ex head of his country’s mission to Nato, assumed office as ambassador to the UK in July 2020.Describing the evolution of the UK’s visa process for Ukrainians he said:”You used to produce visas in Ukraine in Kyiv, which allows all Ukrainians to get one, but that’s the biggest-by-territory nation in Europe. So even travelling to one particular place was hassle already.”Then you moved it to Poland years ago. It was much more difficult to get to Poland. Then you moved it all the way to these islands. To process visas it was always bureaucratic hassles.”Turning to his own experience, he told MPs on the Home Affairs select committee: “I have to tell you that even when I was coming here as ambassador, I got my visa on time, and although I was already approved by your government for half a year, my wife didn’t have it. So even simple things like that, bureaucracy is so tough.”Mr Prystaiko also contrasted the UK’s approach with the Schengen visa zone, which has given Ukrainians visa free entry for tourism purposes for around a decade. Britain has enjoyed visa free tourist entry to Ukraine since 2005.”When we reached agreement for a visa free regime with Europeans, which worked quite beautifully for almost 10 years we never managed to open this particular nation,” he said.”I know that you have strict immigration policies but all Europeans also have them at the same time. We opened up for your citizens in 2005!”UK government has said it will only grant visas to Ukrainian refugees with family connections or sponsorship by a third party. Immigration ministers have suggested people could be pretending to be Ukrainian and that they might consider coming to Britain on work visas to pick fruit.The approach has sparked anger in other countries, with France’s interior minister accusing the British government of a “lack of humanity”.The European Union has activated a special law which will allow all people fleeing the conflict to access housing and other public services for an initial period of three years. They will not be asked to apply for asylum or visas.The latest official stats suggested 300 Ukrainians have been granted visas to come to Britain – dwarfed by the two million who have actually fled the country. Poland hosts 1.2 million and the UK’s neighbour Ireland has taken 2,000 people so far, with its government saying it expects to take between 80,000 and 100,000 people in total. More

Vladimir Putin has “singled out” the UK as the global leader on sanctions imposed on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, Boris Johnson has said.The prime minister sparked jeers and laughter from the Labour benches at PMQs when he claimed Moscow was particularly angry at Britain because his government was “in the lead” on retaliatory measures.“The Kremlin has single out the UK for being in the lead on global sanctions, and in leading the world in defiance of the odious war Putin is leading in Ukraine,” Mr Johnson said.The prime minister came under pressure to take more action to crack down on the influence on Russia-linked oligarchs and so-called “dirty money” in the UK.Mr Johnson suggested that the government would kick out wealthy Russians in the UK if they were to appear on a sanctions list.Senior Conservative MP John Penrose praised the government for ending so-called “golden visas” for wealthy entrepreneurs – but asked if the government will remove visas given to Russian oligarchs living in the UK.Mr Penrose, the PM’s anti-corruption adviser, said: “Will he pledge that anyone who is put on the sanctions list on the coming days and is already on the UK on a golden visa will have it ripped up so they can be thrown out?”The prime minister said the Economic Crime Bill – set to become law next week – would mean the government would be “able to whip aside the veil of anonymity” and “the ownership of these luxurious dwellings will be exposed”.Mr Johnson added: “And yes, we will be able to take away their ability to remain in this country.”Foreign secretary Liz Truss admitted on Monday that the UK had been “slower” than the US and EU in imposing sanctions against individuals with links to the Putin regime.The cabinet minister blamed peers for adding “cumbersome” amendments to the UK’s Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2018, aimed at replicating much of the EU’s sanction regime.“We had a group of lawyers and peers in the House of Lords who pushed for more cumbersome amendments that really put a very high bar on our lawyers,” Ms Truss told the committee.It comes as the government impounded a private jet suspected of being linked to a Russian oligarch at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire hours before it was due to fly to Dubai.Transport secretary Grant Shapps said airport operators can now detain a Russian aircraft, or one suspected of being chartered by a Russian, after sanctions law was tightened.The jet will only be allowed to leave Farnborough if no link with Russia is established, according to a government source.Meanwhile, Mr Johnson came under pressure to “reset” his response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis – with renewed calls for the government tow waive visa requirements.Senior Tory MP Julian Smith called for a more “humane” response, while the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford said ministers had overseen “one of the slowest, most bureaucratic and incompetent responses in the whole of Europe”.The prime minister also rejected calls to offer more help on energy cost in response to the Ukraine crisis, as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned that war could force a further £1,000 spike in household bills this autumn. More

Boris Johnson today rejected calls to offer more help on energy cost, as Labour leader Keir Starmer warned that war in Ukraine could force a further £1,000 spike in household bills this autumn.At prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons, Starmer called for “urgent” help for households and an expansion of nuclear and renewable power, funded by a windfall tax on oil companies.The Labour leader called on Johnson to sweep aside Tory opposition and relax planning laws on onshore wind farms, which he said could produce enough power to completely replace Russian gas in the UK energy mix.But the PM dismissed his plea, accusing the Labour leader of being “absolutely out of his mind”.He mocked Starmer for reversing Labour’s previous opposition to nuclear, and warned that additional taxes on oil giants – which have earned bumper profits as prices spiral upwards – would simply be passed on to consumers.“Protecting energy profits, not working people,” responded the Labour leader. “Doesn’t that say it all?“Britain can’t afford another crisis like this. We need to improve our long-term energy security.“That starts with supporting new nuclear and renewables. But the Conservatives have effectively banned new onshore wind. As a direct result of this short-sighted approach, we’re using more gas each year than we import from Russia. That’s ludicrous.”Sir Keir said that chancellor Rishi Sunak’s £9bn package of assistance with energy costs was designed on the basis of a “big gamble” that the £700 hike in average energy bills due in April would be followed by a rapid return to more normal levels.But he said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the sanctions imposed in response, means the chancellor’s bet “looks certain to fail”. He warned this will add another £1,000 a year on bills from October, which could bring the average household’s annual expenditure on gas and electricity close to £3,000.Global crude prices rose to fresh highs on the markets today, after the UK and US announced boycotts of Russian oil on Tuesday. The Labour leader called on Mr Johnson to demand a U-turn from Sunak to provide more help for families.But the PM retorted: “If he is asking for the chancellor to U-turn on the support that we’re giving to families and households, I think that he is absolutely out of his mind. “We are going to continue to give people support throughout this difficult period, as we did throughout the coronavirus epidemic, with unprecedented levels of support.”Pointing to Mr Sunak’s offer of a £200 repayable discount on bills, a £150 reduction in council tax bills and £144m for councils to help the vulnerable, he said “a U-turn is the last thing we want.”But Starmer replied: “We’ll see how long that position lasts.”He told the PM: “Before Russia invaded Ukraine North Sea oil and gas companies were making bumper profits. BP made £9.5bn, Shell made £1bn – in their own words, more money than they know what to do with.“Since then, the international price of oil and gas has skyrocketed and so will their profits. When will the prime minister admit he’s got this badly wrong? Put a windfall tax on those super-profits and use the money to cut household energy bills.”Mr Johnson replied: “The net result of that would simply be to see the oil companies put their prices up yet higher.”He said that he would be unveiling his energy independence strategy – announced earlier this week – within the next few days, to deliver “a long-term, sustainable, independent energy supply policy”. This is expected to include an expansion of drilling in the North Sea as well as investment in new nuclear and renewables, with a row brewing over whether a revival of fracking is also on the cards. More

Boris Johnson rejects calls to rethink fuel bills help, as Starmer warns of price spike.mp4Prime minister Boris Johnson has disregarded calls to introduce a windfall tax on energy firms to help ease the spike in gas prices across the UK.Addressing the Commons today, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned household energy bills could increase by a further £1000 in October, following £700 jump in April.He called on Mr Johnson to introduce a one-off tax on energy companies, but the prime minister said it would push prices up higher.In response, the leader of the Opposition asked Mr Johnson why he was instead choosing to stick by the same “failed” energy policy that plunged the UK into a crisis and allowed gas prices to “rocket”.Boris Johnson replied saying Britain was shifting its focus to independent energy supplies, “maximising renewables” and nuclear energy.He said the government will lay out a plan in the coming days to meet the “long term impacts of the spike in energy costs” and to “undo decisions made” by previous governments.Show latest update

1646837079Kwarteng won’t say if fracking ban will remainBusiness secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has swerved a question from Labour on whether the government was considering the return of fracking in the UK, writes Adam Forrest.It follows No 10 saying that Boris Johnson was looking at “all options” to boost the UK’s energy supply, despite the current ban on the controversial drilling of shale gas.Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow energy minister, asked: “Will he confirm that the moratorium on fracking that was put in place will remain in place, no ifs, not buts?” More

Boris Johnson’s government has used new aviation sanctions to impound a private jet in Hampshire, after making it a criminal offence for Russian planes to enter UK airspace.Transport secretary Grant Shapps said airport operators can now detain a Russian aircraft, or one suspected of being chartered by a Russian, under a sanctions law tightened in response to the invasion of Ukraine.“Last night, I signed a law which closes off some of those loopholes to do with trying to work out the ownership of some of these aircraft,” Mr Shapps told BBC Breakfast.The minister added: “There is one such aircraft on the ground at the moment at Farnborough that I’ve essentially impounded whilst we carry out further investigations for the last few days – and it’s very important that we have the laws available to enable that to happen.”The Telegraph first reported that the government had revoked the flight permit and was trying to establish the private jet’s links to a Russian oligarch.“We know that it isn’t a Russian company that holds the aircraft, it’s rather a Luxembourg-registered aircraft,” Mr Shapps told LBC Radio.He added: “We are carrying out further checks before releasing it and what we won’t do is allow any Russian oligarchs to pass on that jet when it does eventually go.”A government source said the aircraft “was transporting a wealthy Russian and the ownership of the aircraft is now the subject of an investigation”.The source added: “The aircraft will only be allowed to leave Farnborough if the inquiry shows it is not a Russian owned or controlled jet.”The new measures to strengthen action against Russian aircraft mean it is a criminal offence for any to fly or land in the UK.The ban includes any aircraft owned, operated or chartered by anyone connected with Russia or designated individuals or entities – and will include the power to detain any aircraft owned by persons connected with Russia, the Foreign Office said in a statement.“Banning Russian flagged planes from the UK and making it a criminal offence to fly them will inflict more economic pain on Russia and those close to the Kremlin,” foreign minister Liz Truss said.Mr Shapps said the latest moves would help “suffocate Putin’s cronies’ ability to continue living as normal while thousands of innocent people die”.The new sanctions will also prevent aviation and space related exports including insurance and re-insurance.This will mean cover is withdrawn on existing policies and British-based insurers and reinsurers will be unable to pay claims on existing policies in these sectors, according to the Foreign Office.Meanwhile, Mr Shapps said the issue of supplying MiG-29 jets to Ukraine was a matter for Poland and the US to discuss, saying the UK had “not been involved in this particular loan idea”.The Pentagon has rejected Poland’s offer to give the US its MiG-29 fighters, with the intention of them then being passed to Ukraine.“That is an issue for the Polish and the Americans directly,” the transport told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “We will, of course, want to support Poland, who are right on the front line there, in any way that we can.” More

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky supports the UK government’s approach to the refugee crisis in the war-torn country, cabinet minister Grant Shapps has said.The transport secretary said he was “proud” of the government’s approach, as he revealed only 760 visas had been granted for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.Asked why the UK was still insisting on visa checks which had been dropped by EU countries, Mr Shapps told Sky News: “President Zelensky has asked us to proceed in the way we are doing.”The minister said: “Geographically, of course, we’re space further to the west. President Zelensky and the Ukrainian government have told me that they do not want people to move far away from the country, if at all possible, because they want people to come back.”Mr Shapps added: “We’re doing that in close coordination with president Zelensky and the Ukrainian government who want to keep people as close to Ukraine as possible.”The minister claimed the UK’s approach was “respecting Ukraine’s wishes, the government’s wishes, not to pull people a long way away from Ukraine”.Mr Shapps said the UK’s insistence on visa controls for Ukrainians was the correct approach for security reasons. “It’s not beyond Putin to send people here to cause trouble – we do need to know who is coming into the country,” he told LBC.He also said the decision not to have a visa application centre in Calais was to avoid Ukrainians becoming targets for criminal people-smuggling gangs operating around the Channel port.“We know very much there’s a criminal people trafficking operation that runs out of Calais,” the minister said. “Which is certainly something we don’t want people escaping war to then get caught up in.”Mr Shapps revealed that 760 visas had been granted to Ukrainians from 22,000 applications to the special family route, with 6,000 slots available at processing centres for people who are seeking visas.The minister said a new visa centre would be set up in Lille soon, 70 miles from Calais, and the number of visas granted would “expand rapidly”.Mr Shapps argued that the Lille centre would allow more Ukrainians to have their paperwork in order before arriving at Calais to cross.“We do not want to see this mixed up with the wider issue of people traffickers and criminal gangs in Calais, so we don’t want to attract people to Calais without having the paperwork resolved in the first place.”Asked if he was embarrassed about the visa situation, Mr Shapps told the BBC: “I’m sure there’s always lessons to be learned in these things. But you are dealing with a war situation – funnily enough Putin didn’t put much consideration into what would happen to refugees out of this war.”Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper called for the government to issue emergency visas “that can be issued really swiftly” in light of the fast-changing situation in Ukraine.“It just beggars belief that people are being asked to do this [visa forms] when they have fled a war zone, when they have had to leave everything behind, when they have been risking life and limb, in the face of Russian bombardment. People shouldn’t be treated like this,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.Conservative MP Caroline Nokes was among the many backbenchers attacking the Home Office response to the crisis and ministerial claims to be moving “at pace”, saying: “Snails also move at pace”.Home Office minister Kevin Foster refused to say if the sponsorship scheme – allowing Britons to sponsor Ukrainians without family in the UK – would take “weeks or months” to get underway. More

The Welsh government’s trial of a universal basic income will pay around 500 people £1,600 a month, the devolved administration has announced.Under the pilot policy some vulnerable young people will be paid £19,200 a year for 24 months from their 18th birthday – the highest rate of any large-scale pilot.The scheme will be open to all young people leaving care, and extend to double the number of people that had previously been planned.Some members of the Welsh parliament last month expressed concerns that the pilot, originally expected to cover just 250 people, might be too small to be a useful study. But unveiling details on Tuesday evening Welsh ministers said the programme is now likely to be taken up by around 500 care leavers. The experiment is planned to last for a “minimum” of three years.Under a universal basic income everyone would be paid an unconditional flat amount of cash by the government to help cover living costs. The idea has been suggested as a way of giving people more economic security and opportunities and has been trialled in countries including Finland and the Netherlands.The Welsh Labour government wants to test whether the policy lives up to claimed benefits such as cutting poverty and unemployment and improving health and financial wellbeing, so it is piloting it with a smaller group.Minister for social justice Jane Hutt said the pilot was “an exciting project to deliver financial stability for a generation of young people that need it most”.”The pilot will build on the existing support offered to looked after children in Wales and ensure young people who take part in this pilot get all the support they need to give them the best possible chance to make their way in life and the transition out of care better, easier and more positive,” she said. “We are fully committed to supporting those living in poverty, ensuring they receive adequate financial support so that everyone in Wales can live happy and healthy lives.”Members of the Welsh Parliament previously said 250 people was not enough and called for the project to be diversified across more walks of life and demographics to give more useful data. “A basic income pilot for care leavers – as currently proposed by the Welsh government – will provide valuable feedback on the potential of such a scheme to improve the support to a group which faces significant challenges,” the committee said in January.”However, a three-year pilot of only 250 people will offer limited information. And applying a basic income only to care leavers, will tell us little about universal basic income.”The scheme will still be limited to care leavers but is now expected to cover more people. Officials say the increase from 250 to 500 is due to the size of the cohort of 18 years olds leaving care for the 2022/2023 financial year, when the scheme will begin. Welsh Government’s Technical Advisory Group on Basic Income, chaired by Professor Sir Michael Marmot said: “The Technical Advisory Group for the Welsh Basic Income Pilot want to put on record our support for this policy. “Whilst we may have differing opinions on how a basic income can work on a wider scale, we can all agree that any scheme aimed at helping a particularly vulnerable group should be welcomed and intend to provide Welsh Government with the support it needs in making this a success.” More