The situation in Ukraine is indescribably awful. Putin has unleashed a murderous attack that becomes more depraved with each passing day. Many of us, in Cheltenham and beyond, will have watched with horror the scenes from the maternity hospital in Mariupol, made even worse by the duplicity and indifference of the Russian Government. And now we see the Russian Government resorting to its familiar ruse of manufacturing a phoney pretext for a possible future chemical weapons strike.
Faced with this contemptible behaviour and wave of human suffering, I believe passionately that we in Britain must rise to the scale of the need. Although our country has provided enormously valuable military support (training 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers over recent years, and supplying over 3,800 highly-effective anti-tank weapons) we need to be there for those devastated families displaced by this aggression.
The United Kingdom has a proud record of helping those fleeing persecution, oppression or tyranny from around the world. Alongside providing £10 billion a year to support people through our overseas aid, the UK has now resettled more than 25,000 vulnerable refugees in need of protection over the past six years, with around half being children. These refugees are resettled directly from regions of conflict and instability – from the epicentre of suffering if you will – rather than from safe European countries. In other words, we have looked to assist those who may have been too poor, too weak or too elderly to contemplate a hazardous journey across Europe.
I welcome the fact that the Government already provides safe and legal routes for people needing protection or seeking to reunite with their families. In the year ending December 2020, over 5,400 refugee family reunion visas were issued to partners and children of those previously granted asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK. Over 29,000 family reunion visas have been issued in the last 5 years.
I have always believed that resettlement is vital as a safe and legal pathway to protection for vulnerable refugees fleeing persecution. It is right, and I will continue to ensure, that the Government continues to offer safe pathways for those in need. The launch of a new global UK Resettlement Scheme will build on the success of previous schemes and continue our proud record of resettling refugees who need our help from around the world.
It is also the case that refugees in the UK need to have the freedom to succeed as they settle. This means ensuring refugees have access to the tools required to become fully independent and provide for themselves and their families, which is why I welcome the Home Secretary’s announcement that £14 million of funding will support newly granted refugees to learn English, move into work, access housing and build links in their local communities. This will allow refugees to be in a position to contribute and integrate into the economic and cultural life of the UK.
The Nationality and Borders Bill and will allow the UK to continue to resettle genuine refugees directly from places of danger and to offer refugee family reunions. It will improve support for refugees to help them build their life in the UK, integrate and become self-sufficient members of society. The Bill also seeks to introduce a new temporary protection status for those who do not come directly to the UK or claim asylum without delay once here but who have, in any event, been recognised as requiring protection.