London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Sep 13, 2025

Robert Jenrick criticises UK red tape after taking in Ukrainian family

Robert Jenrick criticises UK red tape after taking in Ukrainian family

Tory MP hits out at ‘overly bureaucratic’ process for resettling refugees, saying visas took too long
The former cabinet minister Robert Jenrick has criticised the scheme to resettle refugees from Ukraine as “overly bureaucratic”, after he is thought to have become the first MP to welcome a Ukrainian family to Britain.

He described the process by which Maria, 40, and her two children, Bohdan, 15, and Khrystyna, 11, had got to the UK as “traumatic”. The children’s father has stayed in Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion, as is the law there.

Speaking on the Daily Telegraph’s Chopper’s Politics podcast, he said: “It has been a very difficult experience for them. Even the experience of coming here was traumatic.

“They spent seven hours queueing at the Polish border before they were able to finally leave Ukraine, catch the flight to the UK, and the experiences which they’ve had, and their relatives have had, in different parts of the country over the last two or three months are really harrowing.”

On the visa process, he said: “Truth be told, it has been a bumpy start to the scheme. It’s taken too long to get visas, for us it took about three weeks to get all three visas approved.

“And so there are people who are frustrated, it has tested the patience of sponsors and, more importantly, of the families and individuals themselves.

“But having been involved in some schemes that are not dissimilar to this in the past, like the Hong Kong scheme, Syrian scheme, Afghan scheme as a minister, as communities secretary, I know that. But I do think that we will get over those bumps, we are getting over them now.”

He added: “There were simple things that we could and should have done from the outset, like having the form in Ukrainian, for example. And I’m not sure whether you need to be doing checks on minors who are extremely unlikely to be threats to this country.”

He said some security checks were needed, but added: “The checks need to be done quickly and in this case I’m afraid it has taken too long.”

Jenrick said he had not yet received the £350 he is entitled to for hosting the family under the government’s Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme. If he is offered it, he said he would either not accept it or pass it directly to the refugees.

Several MPs and ministers have said they have applied to host families.

Earlier this month, the Conservative MP Duncan Baker said he had welcomed a mother and her son. “So far … it’s been very rewarding to see them feeling safe at last after a very traumatic experience and beginning to stabilise them and rebuild their lives,” Baker said.

The environment minister, Victoria Prentis, took in a 25-year-old Ukrainian refugee last month under a separate visitor visa scheme.Last week, the former health secretary Matt Hancock said he planned to house seven Ukrainian refugees at his Suffolk residence.

Hancock described the visa process as a “challenge”.

By Monday, about 16,400 people had arrived in the UK under Ukraine visa schemes, according to government figures, with 13,200 arriving under the Ukraine family scheme, and 3,200 under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

For both schemes 94,700 applications had been received, and 56,500 visas granted by Thursday, said the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the Home Office.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
×