London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 30, 2025

Ukraine: My hopes to host refugees delayed by UK government

Ukraine: My hopes to host refugees delayed by UK government

The UK government has been "appallingly slow" in helping people take in refugees from Ukraine, a woman who has offered her home has said.

Fran Bowhay, from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, said the government was "always behind the curve".

Through the UK government's newly launched "Homes for Ukraine" scheme, anyone in the UK can apply to host refugees.

The government said it was expanding application capacity to 13,000 a week.

It added: "A new sponsorship route, which will allow Ukrainians with no family ties to the UK to be sponsored to come here is also being brought forward and all the measures we've put in place follow extensive engagement with Ukrainian partners."

Households in the UK will be offered a tax-free payment of £350 a month to open their homes to refugees, regardless of how many individuals they are offering to accommodate.

Millions of people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion at the end of February


Ms Bowhay said she had been working to take one person fleeing from the Russian invasion for two weeks, but she had been frustrated by the speed of the scheme.

"It's always the case that the government are behind the curve," she said.

"There are people that have been putting themselves forward without any idea of any recompense or any money at all, the same as myself.

"It's almost like putting the carrot after the stick. They've been appallingly slow.

"There's a whole raft of infrastructure and resources that will be needed to actually get this off the ground."

Vicki Spencer Francis, from Raglan, Monmouthshire, has also applied to host a refugee.

She told the BBC Radio Wales Phone In: "It is shameful really... it is a shame that the general public have to now have to get off their bums and do what we can, but that's what we're really good at so we'll see how it goes."

Andrea Cleaver, chief executive of the Welsh Refugee Council, said the scheme offered by the UK was not a "humanitarian response".

She told said: "When you look at what our EU nations are doing, they are taking in tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands.

"Whereas, in the UK at the moment, we have only taken in 3,000 people, through a visa route, not through a refugee route, and that is really quite disheartening, it's really quite shocking, frankly.

"In other EU nations, we have seen countries open their doors, and take in vast more numbers of refugees, so it will be really interesting to see what type of numbers come in through this Homes for Ukraine route."

Meanwhile, Steve Morgan, the founder of Flintshire-based company Redrow, has pledged to meet the cost of bringing 1,000 refugees from Ukraine to the UK and called on the UK government to "stop delaying".

He said: "I think like a lot of people I felt frustrated, in this country, in the UK, we are not doing enough for refugees.

"The strain that Poland has got to look after the refugees, we can't let Poland and other neighbouring countries along the border [to take the strain], we have to do something - it's really important.

"I feel almost ashamed that Britain is not doing its bit for the refugees and that's what probably inspired me."

Andrew RT Davies says he wants Wales to "play its part" in offering a safe refuge to those fleeing the war


Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has said he wants the country to be a "nation of sanctuary" and look after at least 1,000 refugees from Ukraine.

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, told the Commons he was grateful for Wales and Scotland's offer to act as "super sponsors".

"We are doing everything we can in order to facilitate that," he said.

Earlier on Monday Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, objected to the Welsh government's claims it would be a "super sponsor" for refugees and suggested it should set a much higher target for housing refugees.

He also said he wanted to ensure refugees entering Wales received "wrap-around" care, including health, education and employment prospects.

He said: "What I want to see is as fast and as flexible as a compassionate scheme as possible put in place, whilst also bearing in mind the support that we must offer people that have come to the United Kingdom who have been traumatised.

"The biggest betrayal would be to bring people to this country and leave them isolated or feeling neglected."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
×