The Ukrainian ambassador has called for an end to “bureaucratic red tape” blocking some refugees from seeking sanctuary in Britain. His comments came as the Education Secretary said plans are in place to take 100,000 children into UK schools.
Vadym Prystaiko said “we will deal… later with any issues” with documentation, saying some people “fleeing under bombardment” in Ukraine have not been able to get their passports. Speaking on BBC’s Question Time, he said: “I understand that security checks should be done – I get it all.
“I just wanted to tell (you) that most of our men are staying behind and fighting, so… most of the people you will see (are) just women with children, which I totally hope they’re not posing any threat, especially a terrorist threat to (the) UK. So that’s why I hope and I beg that the procedures will be dropped and every bureaucratic red tape should be cancelled.
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Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said plans were under way in his department to take “100,000 children… into our schools”. Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson continued to resist calls, including from Mr Prystaiko, to drop visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing the violence – insisting the security checks were vital to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin infiltrating agents into the UK.
The Ukrainian ambassador hit out at the bureaucracy of the British system. He told MPs: “I don’t want to see these pictures of people banging at the doors in Calais and scratching the doors which are quite sealed.”
Asked if the UK policy towards bringing refugees over from Ukraine was a “success”, Mr Zahawi told Question Time: “What you are seeing now is a surge in our capability to take more Ukrainians… I can tell you in my own department, in education, I have a team that’s already making plans for a capacity of 100,000 children that we will take into our schools.”
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