The transport secretary made the offer three weeks ago – and was “in touch” with the family concerned a week later – but the request has not yet been processed. The three-generation family from Kyiv, a mother, her six-year-old son, her grandmother, 75, and their dog Max, are going to live in Mr. Saps’s house in Hertfordshire, after “finding them on Facebook”. But speaking to Times Radio, Mr. Saps revealed his struggles, saying: “I just want to take the family here, you know, and feel safe and living with us.” The problems arose after the government admitted that only one in 10 applications to Homes for Ukraine had been approved – only 2,700 out of 28,300 applications, as of last Wednesday. The United Kingdom, only in Europe, has refused to waive the usual bureaucratic visa rules, arguing that it would expose the country to possible terrorism or further chemical attacks by Russian agents. The newly appointed refugee minister has admitted that only “hundreds” of refugees have arrived in Britain under the program – after Boris Johnson refused to reveal the number. Refugee Minister Richard Harrington is committed to speeding up the process, setting an ambitious goal of dealing with the case within two days and attracting 15,000 people each week. The Homes for Ukraine program has been set up to allow homeless refugees to come to Britain and be funded by members of the public, who will be paid 350 350 a month to do so. More than 150,000 people quickly showed interest in becoming hosts – but many have since attacked the 51-page application bureaucracy, and the lives of potential refugees are in grave danger. Mr. Shapps has been investigating the child’s enrollment in a local elementary school and will use one of his own children’s bedrooms to house the family while they are at university. He acknowledged that the delays were “disappointing”, but defended the lengthy completion of forms and security checks. “It would not be more than Putin to put Russian saboteurs on groups of people leaving the country and I think it makes sense [that] “The United Kingdom would like to carry out some inspections.” He is the only cabinet minister believed to be hosting refugees, as Prime Minister and Leveling Up secretary Michael Gove suggested it would be very difficult for them to do so. Lord Harrington told the Sunday Times: “I am pleased to say publicly that my goal is 48 hours from receiving the application form by the time they are allowed to travel.” The Independent has a proud campaign history for the rights of the most vulnerable and we first launched our “Welcome Refugees” campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and start this report on In the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we call on the government to move faster and faster to secure aid. To learn more about our Refugee Campaign, click here. To sign the application click here. If you would like to donate, click here for our GoFundMe page.
