Home Office should be stripped of responsibility for Ukraine refugees, Welsh government says

First minister Mark Drakeford says the department has a long history of running hostile regimes

First Minister Mark Drakeford appeared at the Welsh affairs select committee on Wednesday (PA Wire)

The Home Office should be stripped of its responsibility for helping Ukrainian refugees come to the UK, the Welsh first minister has said.

Mark Drakeford said the department's "long history" of running hostile migration and refugees regimes meant putting it in charge was "the wrong thing to do".

Labour's most senior elected politician said Priti Patel's department has long "demonstrated its incapacity" to do a good job on the issue and that a “dedicated group” should be set up at a UK level should be established.

“Frankly, putting this in the hands of the Home Office is quite the wrong thing to do, the Home Office with its long history of ‘hostile regimes’ to people coming from elsewhere in the world," he told the Commons Welsh affairs select committee on Wednesday.

“The responsibility should be taken away from a department that has demonstrated its incapacity to mobilise to meet the response and put in the hands of a dedicated group of people at the UK level, who will do what is necessary to allow those people driven from their own homes and who temporarily in many cases wish to have sanctuary in the United Kingdom, to make sure that the actions of our government match the wishes of our people.”

The Home Office has long been criticised for scandals involving the treatment or refugees and migrants, including the Windrush scandal.

A spokesperson said the support it gives to refugees would be kept under constant review, and highlighted new measures announced by Priti Patel on Thursday expected to speed up the process.

Mr Drakeford's comments come as the UK is under pressure over its relatively closed door to Ukrainians fleeing Vladimir Putin's invasion compared to other countries.

EU countries have introduced an open-door policy and given all Ukrainian nationals access to housing and assistance – but Britain is requiring Ukrainians to apply for visas, with just some conditions relaxed.

Just 300 visas were granted by the UK as of Monday, at a time when neighbouring Ireland had already admitted 1,800 people despite being remote from the warzone. The French government has accused the UK immigration regime of lacking humanity.

A Government spokesperson said: “We are standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians which is why we’ve made it easier for those with Ukrainian passports to come here. This is alongside changes to visas to ensure Ukrainians in the UK can stay here.

“We have expanded our Visa Application Capacity to 13,000 a week, deployed additional staff across the EU, with a 24/7 helpline in place to ensure those who need appointments can get them to come here. This allows us to balance security risks while welcoming those in need.

“A new sponsorship route, which will allow Ukrainians with no family ties to the UK to be sponsored to come here is also being brought forward and all the measures we’ve put in place follow extensive engagement with Ukrainian partners. We will keep our support under constant review.”

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.