BRITAIN will pay people to open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion as the government moves to deflect anger over its response to the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two.
The new scheme called "Homes for Ukraine" will let refugees from the war come to Britain even if they do not have family ties, the government said on Sunday (12).
Britain will pay people £350 ($456) a month if they can offer refugees a spare room or property for a minimum period of six months.
Prime minister Boris Johnson has sought to portray Britain as helping lead the global response to the Russian invasion - which Moscow calls a "special operation" - but his government has faced criticism over delays in accepting refugees.
People wait to board buses taking them to Warsaw outside the train station in Przemysl, which became the main hub for transportation of refugees fleeing war in Ukraine on March 12, 2022. (Photo by LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP via Getty Images)
MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine aid: UK eases customs rules
Heathrow says Ukraine, fuel prices ratchet up uncertainty
Sewa International evacuates 467 Africans from Ukraine
Estimated loss
Deaths - Atleast 15 K
Property Damage - US$119B
(From Reuters : 3/14 & 09:54 London, UK)
Lawmakers from all the main political parties have attacked the government's insistence that Ukrainians seek visas and biometric tests before arriving in Britain, saying this prioritised bureaucracy over the welfare of those fleeing war.
Under the new scheme, members of the public, charities, businesses and community groups should be able to offer accommodation via a web page by the end of next week, the government said.
"The UK stands behind Ukraine in their darkest hour and the British public understand the need to get as many people to safety as quickly as we can," Michael Gove, the minister for housing, said in a statement.
"I urge people across the country to join the national effort and offer support to our Ukrainian friends. Together we can give a safe home to those who so desperately need it."
Anyone offering a room or home will have to show that the accommodation meets standards and they may have to undergo criminal record checks.
The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine could rise to more than 4 million, double the current estimates of about 2n, the UN's Refugee Agency said last week.
(Reuters)
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.