Mark Drakeford calls for Home Office to be stripped of responsibility for helping Ukrainian refugees

The First Minister has called for the Home Office to be stripped of its responsibility for helping Ukrainian refugees come to the UK.

During a meeting of the Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee, Mark Drakeford said that the UK Government department had a history of "hostile regimes" in dealing with refugees and asylum seekers. 

He told MPs that confusion and delays seen in processing visa applications of those trying to flee the conflict has shown that a special organisation should be put in charge.

“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.

“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 UK Home Office has over the years been said by both supporters and critics to pursue what is known as “hostile environment policies” in its approach to illegal immigration. 

When she was Home Secretary in 2012, Theresa May said that: “The aim is to create, here in Britain, a really hostile environment for illegal immigrants.”

However it’s an approach which goes back further. The Labour minister Liam Byrne had spoken in 2007 about “trying to create a much more hostile environment in this country if you are here illegally.”

The First Minister’s comments come amid intense scrutiny on the Home Office’s handling of the refugee crisis. 

Ukraine's ambassador to the UK has urged Priti Patel to waive visa requirements for refugees fleeing the Russian invasion after it was revealed just 760 visas had been granted out of more than 22,000 submitted applications.

Vadym Prystaiko said he understands why the UK wants to carry out security checks on all refugees but waiving visa rules would "definitely resolve all the issues" being faced by Ukrainians hoping to enter Britain.

"We will be happy if all the barriers are dropped for some period of time when we can get maximum (numbers) of people, then we will deal with that."

Home Office officials have been at pains to say that the department’s approach to those fleeing the war in Ukraine is as generous as possible and will allow tens of thousands of people to come to the UK.

A spokesperson said: “Last week we announced a new sponsorship route which will allow Ukrainians with no family ties to the UK to be sponsored to come to the UK.

“This is alongside our Ukraine Family Scheme, which has already seen thousands of people apply, as well as changes to visas so that people can stay in the UK safely.  

“The routes we have put in place follow extensive engagement with Ukrainian partners. This is a rapidly moving and complex picture and as the situation develops we will continue to keep our support under constant review.”

Officials insist that security and biometrics checks must continue because “these are a fundamental part of our visa approval process worldwide.”

'People should be allowed to come here'

The First Minister went on to say that he’s not arguing against carrying out security checks, but that those checks should be carried out in the UK. 

“It is surely not beyond the capacity of this country, a sophisticated country with an intelligence capacity, to carry out those checks when people have arrived here. 

“It's not an argument against having necessary checks. It's where you conduct them and how you conduct them. 

“People should be allowed to come here. The vast majority of them pose no threat at all, but the checks that are necessary to identify people who may be, can be done after people have arrived. Not while they are waiting in starving conditions with very little hope of those conditions being resolved.”