The government shouldn’t be boasting about the UK’s Homes for Ukraine scheme just yet

There is more to be done before Britain can claim a success of its sponsorship scheme, May Bulman writes

Ukrainian refugees during a stopover in Warsaw, en route to the UK (AP)

Within hours of the UK’s Homes for Refugees scheme portal going live last Monday, the government boasted that 44,000 members of the British public had already registered their interest in hosting those who have fled the war. Most will be aware that the figure has since climbed to more than 150,000.

Off the back of this, Sajid Javid said he expected to “see hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians arrive here in the UK”. The health secretary told LBC this week that this shows how the UK is “supporting Ukraine in every single way that we can”, echoing levelling up secretary Michael Gove’s claim last week that the scheme draws on “our proud history of supporting the vulnerable in their hour of greatest need”.

The sponsorship scheme, launched on Friday, allows Ukrainians with no family links to come to Britain and be hosted by members of the public, who will be paid £350 per month for doing so.