Priti Patel suggests entry rules for Ukrainian refugees could be eased further – UK politics live

Here is the Ministry of Defence’s latest intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine.

Tom Tugendhat, the Conservative chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, told LBC this morning that the current visa scheme for Ukrainians wanting to come to the UK was “certainly not a success”.

Asked about reports that only 50 visas have been issued so far, Tugendhat told LBC:

What we need to do is to make sure that we get the Home Office absolutely delivering, to make sure that we get the support for those who are most in need.

The British people are extremely generous, you and I both know that.

This isn’t some sort of, you know, illegal scam. This is, perfectly obviously, people fleeing for their lives and we need to be absolutely there to support them.

Here is my colleague Peter Walker’s story on the Whitehall confusion over the policy on Ukraininan refugees.

Good morning. Although some aspects of the government’s response to the war in Ukraine have been generally praised, there has been strong criticism, including from Tories, of the attitude taken towards refugees from the conflict seeking refuge in the UK. And last night it emerged that among those disappointed by the policy adopted by Priti Patel, the home secretary, is … Patel herself. She told Harry Cole from the Sun:

In response to the desperation I saw with my own eyes at the Polish border two days ago, I’m urgently escalating our response to the growing humanitarian crisis.

I am now investigating the legal options to create a humanitarian route.

This means anyone without ties to the UK fleeing the conflict in Ukraine will have a right to come to this nation.

Cole says in his report that Patel is referring to the possibility of setting up a new route for Ukrainians wanting to come to the UK – separate from the Ukraine family scheme, which was beefed up last week, and the local sponsorship scheme for Ukraine, the details of which are yet to be announced.

Although Patel shared her thinking with the Sun, she does not appear to have told other people in government, and this has created some confusion as to what actually is being planned. These are from the BBC’s chief political correspondent, Adam Fleming, this morning.

And this is from the BBC’s home affairs editor, Mark Easton.

James Cleverly, the Foreign Office minister, has been giving interviews this morning, and he has been unable to shed much light on what is going on. He told the Today programme this morning that the two existing routes “remained the same”.

But he also stressed that there were “neither targets nor limits” to the number of Ukrainians who might be admitted. Last week the government said its two routes then in place might lead to an extra 200,000 being allowed into the country.

We will be hearing from Boris Johnson later, so perhaps No 10 might have clarified a line by then.

Here is the agenda for the day.

Morning: Boris Johnson visits an RAF base with his Canadian and Dutch counterparts, Justin Trudeau and Mark Rutte.

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

1.05pm: The former head of corporate affairs at Swift, Natasha de Terán, and other financial experts give evidence to the Commons Treasury committee on sanctions against Russia.

2pm: Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, gives evidence to the Commons foreign affairs committee.

After 3.30pm: MPs begin the debate on the economic crime bill. The second reading debate can last up to four hours, and after that MPs will debate amendment and conclude the bill’s remaining stages.

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