UK Politics

Boris Johnson’s government is “not doing anywhere near enough” to help refugees fleeing the “horror” of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.The SNP leader challenged UK ministers to make it easier for refugees to come to the UK, after it was revealed that only “around 50” visas had been issued.Ms Sturgeon said it was “unconscionable” that those who have made difficult journeys to escape the fighting and shelling had to “jump through bureaucratic hoops” and apply for a visa before they can enter the UK.As rising numbers of Ukrainians look to leave their country in the wake of the Russian invasion, the first minister insisted: “All countries must step up and fully play their part, and the UK is not yet doing so.”Her comments came in the wake of France urging Britain to do more to help Ukrainian refugees trying to come to the UK from Calais.French interior minister Gerald Darmanin on Sunday said it was “inhumane” of the UK to turn away refugees arriving at the French port city if they did not have a valid visa.However, speaking on Monday, Ms Sturgeon insisted that “on the issue of refugees the UK is not doing anywhere near enough”. More

Dominic Raab dismisses fears that Putin will use nuclear weapons as ‘rhetoric’A former foreign office minister has said the UK risks falling into “dystopian economic collapse” should it move to sanction Russian gas.It comes as Britain may move this week to ratchet up sanctions on Russia’s oil and gas industries – as reported by The Independent last week – as part of efforts to isolate Putin’s regime globally.Sir Alan Duncan told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There is this auction of indignation, which all of us totally understand, against anything to do with Russia.“So they ban this, ban that and ban everything, but in the end, we’re going to end up banning our own supplies.“Now, we of course, want to disadvantage Russia as an essential tool of war. But we don’t want to disadvantage ourselves so that we fall into some kind of dystopian economic collapse. We are on the edge of that.“Now, for instance, there are subsidiary companies of Gazprom, which are not sanctioned, which are not incorporated in Russia, which are incorporated in one case in the UK, which are essential to the smooth flowing of gas.”Show latest update

1646664820Watch: Watch live as Boris Johnson speaks about Ukraine-Russia war with Canada and Netherlands leadersWe are live with Boris Johnson speaks about Ukraine-Russia war with Canada and Netherlands leaders.Watch live as Boris Johnson speaks about Ukraine-Russia war with Canada and Netherlands leadersEmily Atkinson7 March 2022 14:531646664675Putin did not take Nato’s threats of deterrence ‘seriously enough’, says TrussForeign secretary Liz Truss has said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows that Nato needs to spend more on defence and improve the way the alliance works.She told MPs: “There’s no doubt that the West didn’t act early enough or decisively enough.“The reality is President Putin did not take the threats of deterrence seriously enough.”She told the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee: “What we have to do now is we have to strengthen Nato, we particularly have to strengthen the eastern flank. More

Ireland is expecting to take in around 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, a minister in the country’s government has said.Speaking after a meeting with the World Health Organisation Anne Rabbitte said Ireland would likely take around two per cent of Ukraine’s expected five million displaced people.That figure could get “very real very quickly”, she said, as new figures show 1,800 people have already arrived from the country.The reception from Ireland, whose population is around five million, contrasts with that of its larger neighbour Britain, which has granted just 50 emergency visas to Ukrainians since the Russian invasion of their country.The UK stands practically alone in Europe in not operating an open door policy for Ukrainians fleeing the conflict – requiring people to have a visa and granting only limited concessions. France’s interior minister Gérald Darmanin accused the British government of a “lack of humanity” on the issue over the weekend as hundreds of Ukrainians gathered at Calais wanting to reach Britain.Ms Rabbitte, a health minister in Ireland’s government from the Fianna Fáil party, met with senior World Health Organisation officials this week.Following the meeting the Irish Times reported her saying: “At that stage over a million had crossed the border. He said he could see multiples of that crossing over. “He went as far as to say he could see 4.5 million to 5 million or more crossing the border.” She noted that Ireland expecting to take around two per cent of that figure.”It is my understanding 671 people have arrived into Ireland from Ukraine but they have gone straight to family already living here,” the minister added. “After that we are looking at finding accommodation for them. So that two per cent is likely to get very real, very quickly.”The latest figures released on Monday show 1,800 people from Ukraine have arrived in Ireland visa-free.Meanwhile the Irish Independent cited Irish government sources who described the 100,000 figure used by the minister as “speculation” – but suggested 80,000 was on the cards.”We are at the edge of Europe, and there are only 5,000-6,000 Ukrainians living here now — many in the meat industry in the midlands,” the quoted source told the newspaper.“Other analysis says [the total number of refugees] could be less than 80,000. Whatever the numbers, ­Ireland will do its part.”The British government has hinted that it could make the process for Ukrainians to come to Britain easier, but has not laid out any specific policies.The whole European Union has meanwhile already agreed to grant temporary residency to Ukrainians and give them access to work, the welfare state, and housing for and initial period of three years. More

Jacob Rees-Mogg has been mocked after his claim that the UK “leads the way” in sanctioning Russian banks backfired spectacularly.The Cabinet minister took to social media over the weekend to defend the government’s record on sanctions, following criticism that it had been too slow.To make his point the Tory MP produced a chart showing the UK had sanctioned £258.8 billion, compared to £240 billion in the US and £38.8 billion in the EU.But opposition politicians were quick to point out that the chart suggested there was simply more Russian money worth sanctioning in London than elsewhere.Labour MP Chris Bryant said: “All this proves is that thanks to the Tories all the dodgy Russian money is in London. It’s an admission of corruption!”His colleague Karl Turner added that the minister’s claim in fact showed the “actual scale of ill-gotten Putin money his utterly disgusting Tory Government have let in”.And ex-Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: “I think this tells us more that the UK is where most of Putin’s billionaires were enabled to safely put their money in the first place.”SNP MP Peter Grant added: “So that must mean the City of London was sheltering more dirty money from Russia than anyone else?”Despite the high cash figures produced by Mr Rees-Mogg, the government has sanctioned far fewer individual businessmen with links to the Kremlin than its neighbours – and been slower to do so.According to figures collated by Bloomberg last week the European Union had sanctioned 490 Russian entities, Canada 413, Australia 407, Switzerland 371, the US 118, Japan 40 and the UK 16.The UK government says that it has sanctioned far more and claims its figure is closer to 228 following a rush of measures last week. But an analysis by the BBC’s Reality Check unit has found this figure open to dispute because it it includes subsidiaries and individuals within companies. Whatever the precise figure, the UK is widely regarded to have not gone as far or as hard as its neighbours, despite its rhetoric. The government has also faced criticism more widely for having let the UK become a hub for Kremlin-linked money in recent decades. More

The government is seeking to expedite its Russian sanctions process and tackle “dirty money” in the UK using its long-awaited Economic Crime Bill – with Boris Johnson conceding that “punishing sanctions are meaningless until properly implemented”.MPs will debate a swathe of amendments to the newly-revived legislation on Monday, which the government says will allow the UK to implement “harder and faster” sanctions against individuals associated with Vladimir Putin and his regime.The government has already sanctioned some individuals, banks and companies, but has been criticised by campaigners and MPs for moving too slowly – and, in various instances, for not going far enough.Labour’s shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds accused the government on Sunday night of wanting to give Russian oligarchs a “get out of London free” card by still allowing them six months before foreign-owned UK property needs to be registered and the identity of their owners revealed.The move is intended to ensure criminals cannot hide behind secretive webs of shell companies.While ministers have already put amendments forward to reduce the time given to comply with new rules from 18 months to six, Labour insists this should be cut to 28 days.Ministers are expected to argue that the six-month period strikes a suitable balance between the register’s aims of going after “kleptocrats and corrupt elites” without “hitting decent, law abiding people”.But Mr Reynolds warned it would “give Putin’s cronies months to sell up and escape sanctions”, saying: “The invasion of Ukraine and continued Russian aggression demands action now, not in six months’ time.Earlier, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had struck a more conciliatory tone, but said that there was “a bit of frustration … because these issues are not new”.“There was something called the Russia report of two years ago now that pointed out why we needed some of these measures and the government hasn’t acted quickly enough,” Sir Keir told ITV News.“So, there’s a frustration. I am determined that that frustration doesn’t lead to division because I think that Putin wants to see us divided and we’re not going to let him see us divided. We’re going to be united standing up to Russian aggression.”Other changes to the draft legislation aim to make it easier for law enforcement to demand an explanation for how properties of more than £50,000 were paid for – a move aimed at cracking down on money laundering, which is believed by the National Crime Agency to cost the UK £100bn per year.Another amendment would create the legal power to sanction individuals or companies already placed under sanctions by allies such as the European Union, United States and Canada.Ministers have also agreed to lift some human rights protections that have previously protected oligarchs with interests in the UK from sanctions.But two Tory former Cabinet ministers, David Davis and Andrew Mitchell, have proposed an amendment which would go even further – by establishing a mechanism to allow the government to pre-emptively freeze oligarch’s assets even before the legal sanctions processes have been completed.Follow live updates on Russia’s war on UkraineAdmitting that “punishing sanctions are meaningless until properly implemented”, the prime minister insisted on Sunday that the government’s proposed changes “will allow us to pursue Putin’s allies in the UK with the full backing of the law, beyond doubt or legal challenge”. Mr Johnson is also due to host his Canadian and Dutch counterparts, Justin Trudeau and Mark Rutte, at Downing Street on Monday, followed on Tuesday by the leaders of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.In a phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, as a second ceasefire attempt in Mariupol collapsed, Mr Johnson told the Ukrainian president that “the British people stand fully behind the Ukrainian people”, according to No 10.Echoing his mantra also repeated in an article he penned for New York Times on Sunday, the prime minister “underlined the UK’s determination to ensure Putin fails”, a Downing Street spokesperson said.The pair also discussed “the increasing threat Russia’s barbaric attacks pose to Ukrainian civilians and and “the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine, precipitated by Russia’s indiscriminate attacks and ceasefire breaches”, No 10 said. More

A former Nato supreme commander in Europe has broken with the consensus of military leaders to plead for the west to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine.General Philip Breedlove argued that the move – thus far rejected by the military alliance – could be carried out without the “bellicose rules of engagement” that could spark a wider conflict with Russia.Earlier, the head of the UK armed forces became the latest military leader to rule out a no-fly zone, warning it could trigger an “escalation” if Nato were to shoot down Russian planes.“A no-fly zone would not help. Most of the destruction is coming from artillery. It’s not coming from Russian aircraft,” Admiral Sir Tony Radakin argued.But General Breedlove asked: “How many casualties does it take before we take a different approach to this war?“I think there’s 42 million or so Ukrainians. Does it take 42 million to convince the west that we should have a different approach to this war? This is the question that needs to be going to leaders now.”General Breedlove, a US air force general who served as Nato’s supreme allied commander for Europe between 2013 and 2016, argued that a “humanitarian no-fly zone” was possible.It would be “one in which we go in with a decidedly non-bellicose set of rules of engagement”, he told Times Radio. “Those rules of engagement whereby we talk to our enemy, and we say we are not going to fire on you unless you fire on us,” he argued.It would depend on whether, “even in Mr Putin’s heart, he could find a way to agree to some humanitarian relief”, he added.Some defence experts assert that the west will be drawn inevitably into the conflict, if it drags on for years as feared, as countries continue to supply weapons and aid to Ukraine.That view argues that it may be better to act now, to prevent Vladimir Putin from killing larger numbers of Ukrainians from the air.But Mr Putin has upped the stakes by warning that the implementation by western leaders of a no-fly zone would be considered by Russia to amount to “participation in the armed conflict”.Admiral Radakin told the BBC: “If we were to police a no-fly zone, it means that we would probably have to take out Russian defence systems, and we would have Nato aircraft in the air alongside Russian aircraft, and then the potential of shooting them down – and then that leads to an escalation.”Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, echoed this view, saying: “We’re not going to get ourselves into a direct military conflict with Putin because that would be a massive escalation.”And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “Everybody understands why we can’t have a no-fly zone, why direct military assistance is not possible.” More

As few as 50 visas have been issued for Ukraine refugees to come to the UK, it has emerged, as the crisis was labelled Europe’s worst since the Second World War.Priti Patel was challenged over the low figure – as she became embroiled in a spat with France over refugees trapped in Calais without visas to cross the Channel.On a visit to a help centre, the home secretary was asked if she had made it “too difficult” for refugees to be admitted, after – unlike the EU – rejecting pleas to waive visa rules.“Nearly 12,000 have indicated that they’d like to come, over 5,000 have submitted applications,” Ms Patel was told.“As of today, only 50 have been approved. So, given the desperation, how is it acceptable that only 1 per cent of UK visa applications have been granted? Are you making it too difficult?”In response, Ms Patel did not dispute that only 50 visas have been issued, while arguing staff numbers are being boosted “across all application centres across the entire European Union”.The Independent has asked the Home Office to confirm the figure of 50 successful visa applications, which was revealed by Channel 4 News.Earlier, France protested at what it called the UK’s “lack of humanity”, after women and children in Calais were told to travel back to Paris to apply for visas.But Ms Patel claimed: “The British government is not turning anybody around or turning anybody back at all.” She added: “I have staff in Calais to provide support to Ukrainian families.”The French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, criticised the way British officials are turned away refugees at the Channel for not having the necessary visas.“I have twice contacted twice my British counterpart, I told her to set up a consulate in Calais,” Mr Darmanin told Europe 1 radio, referring to the home secretary.Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, called the situation “shocking”, asking if the government had “lost all humanity and solidarity”.On the visa numbers, Ms Cooper added: “This is too slow. Too many hoops for desperate families to have to jump through. Home Office completely failing to understand urgency of crisis.”But Ms Patel insisted: “It is wrong and it is inaccurate to say that we are not providing support on the ground. We are.”However, Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, called for the “bureaucratic nonsense” surrounding visa applications to be cleared away.“We believe that some of the procedures can be really simplified,” he said, after meeting, Ms Patel at the nearby embassy.“We will sort it out later. Now we have to let as maximum people we can have as possible.The figures appeared to show that 5,535 online applications have been completed and submitted online, while 2,368 people have booked a visa appointment to submit their application. More

Dominic Raab dismisses fears that Putin will use nuclear weapons as ‘rhetoric’Dominic Raab, the UK deputy prime minister, has ruled out imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine during the Russian attack, saying this would lead to a “massive escalation”.Echoing the words of Boris Johnson, he said Vladimir Putin “must fail” – but warned this may take time. Also on Sunday, the PM put forward a six-point plan for the international community to support Ukraine during the Russian invasion.This included maximising economic pressure on the invading country and doing more to help Ukraine to defend itself and preventing a “creeping normalisation” of what Russia is doing to its neighbour.“We cannot allow the Kremlin to bite off chunks of an independent country and inflict immense human suffering and then creep back into the fold,” Mr Johnson wrote in the New York Times. Meanwhile, the UK defence secretary Ben Wallace has warned the Russia leader to neither “test” nor “underestimate” the UK. Show latest update

1646579675That is all from us for today. We will be back tomorrow with more on what is happening in UK politics. Zoe Tidman6 March 2022 15:141646578969Over in Ireland, a government minister said the number of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Ireland could exceed 80,000.James Browne said the exodus of people from Ukraine was on a scale not witnessed in Europe since the end of the Second World War.Zoe Tidman6 March 2022 15:021646578625France condemns British treatment of Ukrainian refugeesFrance has urged Britain to do more to help Ukrainian refugees trying to come to the UK from Calais, as Dominic Raab defended the visa rules for those fleeing the conflict.Its interior minister said it was “inhumane” of the UK to turn away refugees arriving at the French port city if they did not have a valid visa.More here:Zoe Tidman6 March 2022 14:571646577262Boris Johnson lays out six-point plan on UkraineThe PM has tweeted out his six-point plan for helping Ukraine in the Russian invasion:Zoe Tidman6 March 2022 14:341646573852Brexit and pesticidesMoving away from Ukraine for a moment, our policy correspondent Jon Stone has an article on Brexit and pesticides. He reports the government is considering using its new regulatory freedom to allow ones banned in the EU on food imported to the UK.Full story here:Zoe Tidman6 March 2022 13:371646572292UK ‘has direct line to Russia war room’The UK has a “direct line” to Russia’s war room to ease tensions during the Ukraine crisis, a defence chief has revealed – but it is “not as strong” as wanted.“We have a line in the Ministry of Defence that goes direct to the Moscow operational headquarters,” he said.Rob Merrick, our deputy political editor, reports:Zoe Tidman6 March 2022 13:111646570852Labour response to six-point plan on Ukraine On Boris Johnson’s six-point plan in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the shadow defence secretary said the prime minister must match his rhetoric with action.“It’s exactly what the alliance of not just western states but increasingly international opinion is actually doing,” John Healey told Times Radio: ““In many ways, some of our allies could reasonably turn around and say ‘well it’s all very well for you, Boris Johnson, but you’ve got to now match some of your tough rhetoric with your own action, particularly on humanitarian assistance, on diplomacy and on sanctions’.”Zoe Tidman6 March 2022 12:471646569892‘It’s very important we show the world we’re united’ – Sir Keir StarmerSir Keir Starmer has said it is important to show the UK is “united” when asked whether Boris Johnson should resign. See him make the comments to BBC here:Zoe Tidman6 March 2022 12:311646568632‘It does not work’ – Ukrainian woman on UK visa schemeOn that note, a Ukrainian woman has told ITV News the current visa scheme “does not work” and requirements waived to support those fleeing from war:Zoe Tidman6 March 2022 12:101646568332Waiving visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees would undermine public support, Raab claims Dominic Raab has suggested support would be undermined for Ukraine if the UK let refugees in without visas.The justice secretary was asked on the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme about reports that 150 Ukrainian refugees had been turned away at Calais because they did not have a valid visa.He said: “Look, if we just open the door not only will we not benefit the people that we need to, the genuine refugees, but I think we undermine the popular support for this very thing, so I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. We need to make sure that we’re acting for those that need our support.”Our social affairs correspondent, May Bulman, has spoken to Ukrainians refugees unable to join family in the UK under the current visa scheme:Zoe Tidman6 March 2022 12:05 More