Bill Wiggin has called for an explanation for the suspension of visa requirements for wealthy visitors from the Middle Eastern country, which has long been condemned for its human rights record. “The only people who show up are in rubber boats,” he told Boris Johnson, asking, “Why can’t we get the right people through our immigration system instead of the wrong ones?” The comments came during a meeting of the Committees of the Communities, during which the former shadow minister appeared frustrated at the focus of aid to refugees from Ukraine. He urged the prime minister to look to the other “end of the spectrum”, saying: “We have promised, on at least three occasions, visa-free travel to Qatar. “These are very rich people who are unlikely to stay. And yet, despite saying we do it three times, we have not delivered yet. “ Mr Wiggin – who recently declared 2. 2,740’s trip to the country to the Commons’s register – then added: “We want Qatar. “We do not want people in rubber boats.” In response, Mr Johnson said the current border bill – which would criminalize refugees crossing the Channel – would help stop what he called “cruel human trafficking”. He also revealed that he had recently spoken with the Emir of Qatar about lifting the visa requirement, saying: “It is possible that we will see progress very soon.” The comments came as the prime minister acknowledged that the Homes for Ukraine project could be “abused” by traffickers or sex offenders. He reiterated that he did not know how many refugees had arrived in the UK via the sponsorship route, although he had been asked the same question three hours earlier. Mr Johnson was then warned of fears that he was “in danger of acting as a Tinder for sex traffickers” without monitoring efforts to match shelters with host families online. Asked if the National Crime Service should investigate the ads on social media, he told the Communities Liaison Committee: “Definitely.” The Prime Minister added: “The program” Homes for Ukrainians “must be something we are very generous [with]we open our hands. “But we also make sure that this plan is not abused – not by the Ukrainians, but by people who may have bad motives.” Mr Johnson defended the issuance of just 2,700 visas under the sponsorship program – from less than 60,000 applications – with an unknown number of arrivals. “The numbers are rising quite sharply. I think they will continue to climb for a while longer. “I think it will be a wonderful thing,” he said.
