Ukrainians should just be given a three year stay in UK, no visa needed.

[Kendodd]

And they should be allowed to work, but not claim asylum.
And before people start jumping up and down 'they're not coming here, we're full up' minimal state support should be given to appease you lot. A network should be set up tso people with space, spare rooms etc can offer accommodation. Some of the people coming will be teachers, they can be supported in setting up informal or online schools for the children.
This is temporary, we are better than this. I know the Tories don't want it but they don't have to get over involved, individual people will step up and take people in. I know it's not perfect, but it's better than nothing.

Yabu - No
Yanbu Let them come

This government has made being heartless and cruel to desperate refugees one of its core values. Priti Patel will be "pushing back" boats of Ukrainians in the channel by the summer

Also we do not have a shortage of housing. There are 290,000 empty homes in the UK. We have a housing cost crisis not one of availability

We are a tiny island and already have over 67 million people on it with a huge amount of homeless. Where the hell would they all go! How about we house all the homeless on the streets first.

And the talks of giving up our spare bedrooms batshit.

@MorningStarling

It's a bad idea for any European country to allow in Ukrainian refugees. They need to stay in Ukraine and fight. Any other course of action puts the rest of Europe at greater threat from the Russians.

If a significant amount of Ukrainians flee, there will obviously be far fewer left to fight the Russians. The Russians will have less resistance, and at the same time a greater opportunity for bombing and rocket attacks because there will be fewer innocent people at risk.

Allowing refugees in from Ukraine will just make Ukraine fall faster. Once Ukraine is captured, the Russians will move westwards. Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Estonia etc. will all be in the position Ukraine is in now. Do other countries let them in too? Which would just enable Russia an easier route to expansion.

Refusing refugees will cost more (Ukrainian) lives in the short term, but it will save countless more European lives in the long term.

It's a shame people don't think of the consequences of their proposals - the road to hell and all that.

I think that's the worst thing I've read on this thread - leave certain people to die so that we're ok??? For starters you realise they're enforcing able men to stay and fight so that's already covered, how is leaving women/children/elderly there to die going to help exactly?

That's a sick attitude - on a smaller comparison that's the same as peeping out of your curtains and hoping the abusive man across the road actually kills his wife before she runs away on the basis the police will be able to lock him up easier to get him off your street!!

@anniegun

This government has made being heartless and cruel to desperate refugees one of its core values. Priti Patel will be "pushing back" boats of Ukrainians in the channel by the summer

Why would Ukrainians be in boats in the channel,people are currently leaving because their country us under attack , hopefully it will be a short-lived conflict ,won't most Ukrainians want to go home?

I would agree if there were no other countries able to help and we were nearer. As it is, these poor refugees would literally cross massive, far less densely populated countries like France and Germany to come to us? It doesn't make sense. Let's also just remember that our schools are full and our waiting list for NHS care can be over a year. Our cities have disgusting air quality and terrible traffic jams. We are failing to recognise that we are actually in crisis ourselves here in the UK. Tried seeing a GP recently?

@jytdtysrht

I would agree if there were no other countries able to help and we were nearer. As it is, these poor refugees would literally cross massive, far less densely populated countries like France and Germany to come to us? It doesn't make sense. Let's also just remember that our schools are full and our waiting list for NHS care can be over a year. Our cities have disgusting air quality and terrible traffic jams. We are failing to recognise that we are actually in crisis ourselves here in the UK. Tried seeing a GP recently?

Yes. I saw a GP last week.

This is just a dressing up of "we shouldn't help because we're an island and they pass through other safe countries before they get to us".

What will be interesting is that the country is quite xenophobic c.f. brexit and the popular 'we're full up' discourse that's been running for decades now. The gov are going to have to carefully balance between appeasing the xenophobes yet appearing to 'do something'.

@jytdtysrht

I would agree if there were no other countries able to help and we were nearer. As it is, these poor refugees would literally cross massive, far less densely populated countries like France and Germany to come to us? It doesn't make sense. Let's also just remember that our schools are full and our waiting list for NHS care can be over a year. Our cities have disgusting air quality and terrible traffic jams. We are failing to recognise that we are actually in crisis ourselves here in the UK. Tried seeing a GP recently?

yes having to wait two weeks to see a GP is the same as having the shit bombed out of you night and day - I see your point.

Maybe these refugees could WORK IN THE NHS - you know and help reduce waiting lists?

We are not over populated and German and France have already taking way more people than us

As for people bleating on about homelessness - do some research - UK homelessness is NOT due to lack of properties - it's due to PTSD, drug and alcohol dependency, criminal records and lack of support for released offenders - plus the decimation by this government of the services that used to try and address these problems - you could build a million new flats - you would still have homeless people unless you offered support with the other stuff

Great post ghosty

@ghostyslovesheets 👏

How does the existing infrastructure which is currently insufficient cope? All for supporting the Ukrainians and getting them to safety but it is more complicated than made out

Would you rather they were killed?

The UK takes far fewer refugees than many poorer countries.

Sorry that was to the people opposing letting them
in.

I must live in a different U.K. to the one some other posters live in - in the one I live in, we’re absolutely desperate for labour in loads of sectors.

@Chasingaftermidnight

I must live in a different U.K. to the one some other posters live in - in the one I live in, we’re absolutely desperate for labour in loads of sectors.

Not really, we are desperate for skilled labour at minimum wage levels.

Pay more and all labour shortages will be solved.

Let's be real for a moment - this won't be temporary, Ukraine's GDP is the second lowest in Europe - (second only to Kosovo) ranked about 110 in the world. Why when anyone who can have a chance to live and work in the UK (or any other EU country with better prospects) want to go back and go back to what? Not saying we shouldn't do our part and take in who we can - but we hand out visas so begrudgingly to commonwealth citizens, balked at taking Syrians or Afganis and deported a load of British 'Caribbeans' during the whole windrush deportee fiasco - why are Ukrainians seen as model asylum seekers? They deserve our help but so does everyone in that situation. What about the Uyghur if they had the means to get to the UK?

But @Chasingaftermidnight they are the wrong type of "immigrant" unless they are fruit pickers according to Kevin Foster, the MP for Torbay and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safe and Legal Migration

@Daddydog people do go back. It is said about every single accession state to the EU that they will come in and won't ever leave but most do.

@KMTKaren that's been the excuse since 1999.

I have a spare room, and I would very gladly sign a waiver that my parents, if they are allowed to come and stay with me, won't use a penny from public funds in their lives.

@lonelyapple

The Tories have refused to build any new housing because they want to keep house prices high and only affordable for the rich/people able to get massive mortgages, so I doubt they'll suddenly start building millions of houses in which case, where will millions of refugee families be housed when there is already a million strong waiting list for housing for people living here? There are only so many people willing to give up spare rooms etc.

As someone who works in construction I have been on several social housing schemes recently - they are being built! They mostly go to immigrants, bypassing the queue of people who have waited years for social housing.

At the same time luxury housing is also being built and being sold to foreign investors who don't step foot in them. THAT'S the housing crisis issue there!! It's really demoralising working in my industry and seeing the housing crisis being exacerbated in full view.

@Kendodd

the reality is that we are more than “full up” with such a high rate of homelessness.

Well 1,000,000 EU citizens have left since Brexit and 150,000 people have received died from covid, I make that room for 1,150,000 people. Plus don't we have 1,000,000 job vacancies.
I have a spare room, I can take a couple. Loads and loads of people do and would.

Love this answer!

So @ilovesooty and @ghostyslovesheets

You would take a Ukrainian Refugee into your house, with very limited background checks?

It’s not about us having surplus to share, it’s about one set of human beings helping another set who are in absolute dire straits.