Lammy: “Laser-like focus” needed to maintain public support for Ukrainians

Labour’s David Lammy has warned that a “laser-like focus” is needed from the government to maintain public support for Ukrainians.

Commenting ahead of the six-month anniversary of the war and Ukraine’s independence day on Wednesday, the Shadow Foreign Secretary stressed that this “laser-like focus” is needed “both in Britain and across the international community”.

His comments followed a warning from refugees minister Lord Harrington, who is in charge of the scheme through which the public can volunteer to house Ukrainian refugees. Harrington told the government on Tuesday that the ‘thank you’ payment of £350 to households taking in a refugee should be doubled.

Harrington said he expects around a quarter of the 25,000 households hosting refugees to pull out of the scheme after six months, meaning new homes will have to be found, amid rising bills and prices as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

“The UK government must now have a laser-like focus on maintaining public support for the Ukrainian people both in Britain and across the international community,” the Shadow Foreign Secretary said today.

“At home, we need to freeze energy bills, insulate homes and invest in green energy to limit the domestic impact of the conflict which is exacerbating the cost-of-living emergency created by 12 years of failed Conservative energy policy.

“Internationally, Britain needs to secure new diplomatic channels to work with our European partners to wean ourselves off Russia’s gas and to exert maximum pressure on [Vladimir] Putin.”

Energy bills are predicted to rise from the current £1,971 to around £3,600 per year when the price cap is adjusted in October. The October price cap is due to be announced on August 26th. Energy bills are then expected to increase again to £4,650 when the cap is next reviewed in January next year.

There are currently 115,000 Ukrainian refugees being hosted by households across the country. Hosts were asked to commit to an initial six-month stay. Harrington said he was “optimistic” about the Treasury agreeing the proposal.

The peer said around 4,000 to 5,000 Ukrainians are arriving in the UK each week. Local authorities have also warned that homelessness could rise if refugees’ initial six-month placements with hosts end without alternative options in place.

A survey commissioned by the Conservative minister, carried out by the Office for National Statistics, found that the majority of hosts reported that rising prices and bills were hindering their ability to support Ukrainian refugees.

Almost a quarter, 23%, of sponsors who said they would only be hosting a refugee for six months or less told researchers that their decision not to continue with the scheme was because they could no longer afford to.

The Treasury said the £350 ‘thank you’ payments to hosts are made to “recognise their generosity” and do not affect benefit entitlement nor council tax status. A spokesperson said: “We have already acted to make sure these payments are exempt from tax, and continue to monitor and review the support provided under the scheme.”