The Rundown Podcast: Priti Patel Loses Grip On The Ukrainian Refugee Crisis
2 min read
On this week's episode of The Rundown – it's been a chaotic week for the Home Office, with Priti Patel criticised for not going far enough to help refugees fleeing war-torn Ukraine.
Alain Tolhurst is joined by former justice secretary Robert Buckland to discuss whether the UK is pulling its weight when it comes to welcoming those fleeing the Russian invasion.
Buckland has called on government to publish details of the sponsorship scheme for Ukrainian refugees in “hours” and is “deeply impatient” for it to get up and running.
He spoke to PoliticsHome as the government is expected to confirm details of the sponsorship scheme this weekend, which is reported to include plans for people in the UK to be able to offer rooms in their homes to Ukrainian refugees.
“I still haven't yet got a firm date as to when that announcement is going to be made, frankly, we need it in days, if not hours, so that we can start this process,” he told The Rundown.
“Whilst I'm a great believer in parliamentary protocol, if [Gove] was able to announce it as soon as the weekend then great, that gives us even more time to get this system up and running.”
PoliticsHome's political editor Kate Proctor and political reporter Eleanor Langford will also discuss the Home Office's chaotic response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis.
Patel has been accused of being "the odd one out" in cabinet in taking a harder stance than other European countries on refugees. Ukrainian families navigating the UK visa process have described it as "cruel" and "chaotic".
The PoliticsHome reporters also talk about John Bercow's parliamentary legacy after a pariliamentary investigation found him to be a "serial bully".
We also look at how Westminster celebrated international women's day, including one cabinet minister telling a packed press drinks that their daughter wanted to join them in becoming a journalist.
The Rundown is presented by Alain Tolhurst, with Kate Proctor and Eleanor Langford. The script editor is Laura Silver.
Produced and edited by Leon Radschinkski-Gorman for Podot.
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