Labour would still require biometric checks for Ukrainian refugees to come to Britain, Ed Miliband says

Opposition resists pushing government towards EU-style open door policy

Poland Russia Ukraine War (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Labour would still require Ukrainian refugees to undergo biometric and security checks prior to getting an emergency visa to come to Britain, a senior shadow cabinet member has said.

Speaking on Thursday morning Ed Miliband said in government his party would be issuing "emergency protection visas" for people fleeing the Russian invasion.

He criticised the government's approach, which he said was not generous enough and turning too many people away.

But the shadow energy secretary said Labour would not follow the EU's 27 member states and drop the requirement for Ukrainian refugees to get a visa.

Asked what the difference was between Labour's proposed emergency protection visas and an EU-style dropping of visa requirements, Mr Miliband told BBC Radio 4's Today programme:

"You still have biometrics and security checks on people on the basis of this emergency protection visa."

The party says the visa would be simpler and quicker than the existing proces, which has seen Ukrainians stuck in Calais or queueing in freezing temperatures at application centres. It was put to Mr Miliband that the checks would slow down the process and that it could take weeks to process even the existing 22,000 applications.

He replied: "It won't take weeks and if the government really threw everything at this, we could lift normal visa conditions other than biometrics and security checks and people could then come here.

"We've looked into this in great detail, it can absolutely be done but the government needs to get on with it and get its act together."

Asked who had told Labour it could be done quickly, Mr Miliband replied that the party had "looked at this in detail" and talked to "various experts".

"What we said that we should have an emergency visa, a 12 month emergency visa for people so that they can they can come in and we can take our fair share of refugees. It is a visa system, and the checks can be done very quickly," he said

"Frankly what we are seeing – and this is across all sides of the House of Commons, a feeling about this – is a sense that there is just no proper system in place.

"And people being turned away, appalling stories about what people are facing, the government needs to get his act together. It needs to provide the humanitarian help for people that I think the country really wants to see."

Britain has stood out among European countries in not offering an open door policy to Ukrainian refugees – with the government coming in for international criticism.

At the start of the week French interior minister Gerald Darmanin, wrote a strongly-worded letter to his British counterpart Priti Patel, accusing the UK of a "lack of humanity" for not opening its doors,

Under current rules the government has merely slightly relaxed existing visa requirements for people with family or sponsors. It has promised to open up further safe routes but yet given any details.

The latest official stats suggested 300 Ukrainians have been granted visas to come to Britain – dwarfed by the two million who have actually fled the country.

Poland hosts 1.2 million and Britain's neighbour Ireland has taken 2,000 people so far, with its government saying it expects to take between 80,000 and 100,000 people in total.

The European Union has activated a special law which will allow all people fleeing the conflict to access housing and other public services for an initial period of three years. Under the rule, people will not be asked to apply for asylum or visas.

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.