Ukraine refugees: Why Britain must show its humanity as Yorkshire MPs rebuke Priti Patel and Home Office bureaucracy – The Yorkshire Post says

Its collective response continues to be inspired by the bravery of the Ukrainian resistance under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who made a historic address to MPs here on Tuesday.

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy evokes Winston Churchill in landmark address to MPs – The Yorkshire Post says

Ukraine is also the first to credit Britain for its supply of defensive weapons – and the leadership of Defence Secretary Ben Wallace who continues to win plaudits for his handling of the crisis.

But his assuredness stands in contrast to the Home Office’s inhumane, incompetent and inept response to the refugee crisis as the disbelief of Ukrainians is matched by the public’s anger here.

And this is epitomised by the hard-hitting interventions in Parliament by, first, Elmet and Rothwell MP Alec Shelbrooke, who ordered Ministers to ‘get a grip’ before Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith sought Boris Johnson’s personal intervention at Prime Minister’s Questions as pressure mounts on Priti Patel, the Home Secretary.

For, while families are rightly fearful of the war’s impact on the cost of living and energy bills, they’re proud of this country’s humanitarianism and are incensed, as they support aid convoys, at the inflexibility of the Home Office to date as Mr Smith, a former Cabinet minister, demanded a “more humane approach” from the very top of government.

After all, the very reason why Ukrainians cannot comply with rigid Home Office visa rules is because they left their homes with nothing – a point lost on Ms Patel whose reputation is now in ruins after she misled MPs previously. Yet, shortly before PMQs, Vadym Prystaiko, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, offered to help the Home Office to oversee the credentials of those seeking refuge here. It’s a pragmatic offer that should now be accepted without delay.

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