Priti Patel ‘clashes with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss’ over demand for more staff to help clear Ukraine visa backlog as minister admits government’s response is a ‘disgrace’
Priti Patel and Liz Truss have been clashing over the backlog in visas for Ukrainian refugees, it was revealed today.
The Home Secretary is said to have asked the Foreign Secretary for more staff to help process applications.
However, Ms Truss apparently rebuffed the request saying her officials are too busy on the diplomatic response to the Russian invasion.
Barely 10 per cent of the 4,700 people granted visas under the Homes for Ukraine scheme had arrived in the UK by the end of last week – and that in itself was a fraction of those who had applied.
The separate Ukraine Family Scheme – for refugees with relatives in the UK – has awarded 24,400 but only ‘hundreds’ are believed to have reached Britain.
Lord Harrington, the refugees minister, admitted during a phone-in last night that the situation is a ‘disgrace’.
Priti Patel (left) and Liz Truss (right) have been clashing over the backlog in visas for Ukrainian refugees
Barely 10 per cent of the 4,700 people granted visas under the Homes for Ukraine scheme had arrived in the UK by the end of last week. Pictured, refugees at the Ukraine-Poland border yesterday
The Home Office, which has more than 36,000 staff, has assigned just 300 to process visas for Ukrainian refugees.
According to The Times, Ms Patel asked for more ‘manpower’ from the Foreign Office, as high security clearance is needed for the work.
However, she was told the department could only offer more specialised computer terminals.
HM Revenue & Customs and the Department for Work & Pensions have reportedly supplied extra staff.
‘Priti thinks the Foreign Office has failed to provide any help. She wants manpower to help process visas,’ a government source told the newspaper.
‘But the Foreign Office says it is really stretched at the moment. It’s basically saying, ‘Back off, Priti, it’s your problem’.’
On an LBC phone-in last night, Lord Harrington said he had no ‘excuses’ as he was repeatedly grilled by frustrated callers about problems in the system.
Told by one caller that it was a ‘disgrace’, the peer said he ‘finds it hard to disagree’.
‘We know things are not good. Ten days of waiting is not acceptable,’ he said.
Top surgeon hoping to help house Ukrainian refugees hits out at UK’s ‘disgusting’ delays to visa scheme
A leading neurosurgeon who is trying to provide a home for a Ukrainian family last night branded delays to Britain’s refugee scheme as ‘disgusting’.
Dr Henry Marsh, 72, who has spent time working in Ukraine free of charge for more than 30 years, said his application had been held up for weeks by Home Office checks.
He said: ‘I’m distressed, embarrassed and ashamed about how the British Government has failed to deal with the refugee problem.
‘One gets the distinct impression that the whole thing was set up to fail. It takes such a long time that the Home Office hopes by then the war will be finished and we won’t have to take the refugees.’
Thousands of visa applicants fleeing the war are still waiting for a response from the Homes for Ukraine scheme which was launched three weeks ago.
Dr Henry Marsh, pictured, 72, who has spent time working in Ukraine free of charge for more than 30 years, said his application had been held up for weeks by Home Office checks
The doctor said he has ‘faced radio silence’ as he tries to host cardiologist Olena, her mother and her four-year-old son Danylo who have fled Lviv.
He believes his application is being held up by criminal record checks which he says could be completed after the arrival of the family at his London home.
He said: ‘I don’t know how long it will take. All I know is that they are in no hurry and the reputation of this country will suffer even more.
‘It’s disgusting when you compare it to the rest of Europe. There’s no reason why they could not have said: “Come to England and sort out the paperwork afterwards.”’
Olena has been trying to get her family to safety while her doctor husband stays behind in Ukraine.
She is currently living in ‘very unsatisfactory conditions’ in Warsaw and her son has been left traumatised by the upheaval.
Dr Marsh, best-selling author of Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery, said he feared the family and others like them could be exploited by criminal gangs.
He insisted: ‘We already know sex traffickers are preying on people fleeing. They are not exactly safe at the moment… and all this when my London home is ready and waiting.’
Thousands of visa applicants fleeing the war are still waiting for a response from the Homes for Ukraine scheme which was launched three weeks ago. Pictured: Refugees from Ukraine are seen on the platform boarding the train to Warsaw, at the railway station in Przemysl, southeastern Poland, on April 5
The delays have left him feeling helpless as he watches the ‘grotesque war’ unfold.
He said: ‘It’s an obscene, foul thing that has happened and I feel like I’m standing outside the gates of Auschwitz and unable to do anything about it. Ukraine is my second home. I know she is having a hard time and all I can say is I’m very sorry.’
The Home Office, which has more than 36,000 staff, has assigned just 300 to process visas for Ukrainian refugees. Figures last week showed only 4,700 visas have been granted under Homes for Ukraine, with a backlog of 27,500.
The separate Ukraine Family Scheme – for refugees with relatives in the UK – has awarded 24,400. So far only ‘hundreds’ of Ukrainians have actually arrived in Britain.
A Government spokesman said: ‘We are moving as quickly as possible to ensure that those fleeing Ukraine can find safety in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine.
‘We have streamlined the process so valid passport holders do not have to attend in-person appointments before arriving in the UK, simplified our forms and boosted caseworker numbers while ensuring vital security checks are carried out.
‘We continue to speed up visa processing across both schemes, with almost 30,000 visas issued in the last three weeks alone and thousands more expected to come through these uncapped routes.’
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