The government is to relax its immigration rules to allow more Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country to come to the UK.
In a major climbdown, Priti Patel will announce that adult parents, grandparents, children aged over 18 and siblings of Ukrainians already in UK will be able to settle in this country.
The change in policy comes just a day after the Home Secretary said only immediate family members could come.
At the time, Patel said security concerns meant that she was unable to offer asylum to all Ukrainian refugees.
The government has come in for widespread criticism over its stance, including from former Tory leader William Hague.
Boris Johnson hinted at the change in policy in a speech this morning during a trip to Poland.
He said: “Poland has already welcomed many thousands of refugees with compassion and practical help, and the UK will provide up to £220 million of emergency and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and I have placed 1,000 troops on stand-by to help the humanitarian response in neighbouring countries, including in Poland.
“Many people in Britain will of course want to help Ukrainian refugees. So, we will make it easier for Ukrainians already living in the UK to bring their relatives to our country, and though the numbers are hard to calculate they could be more than 200,000.”
In addition, UK citizens and companies will be able to sponsor Ukrainian refugees who want to live here.
The Home Secretary will announce full details of the refugee scheme in the House of Commons this afternoon.
But the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “We intend to make a broad and generous offer to the people of Ukraine, those that do wish to come here.
“We are confident that we will be able to bring over significant numbers of Ukrainians. We have a strong record in settling refugees.”
In response, the Labour Party said there was “considerable relief” that the government had changed its position.
But shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said she still had a number of questions about how the relaxation of the rules would work in practice and how many people it would help.
Cooper raised concerns over whether people who have to pay for their visas after one woman had to pay £700 for documentation after initially being turned down.
Patel confirmed that the woman in question would be offered a refund and that no fees would apply.
Cooper also asked: “Can she make a simple commitment now that family members from Ukraine who are fleeing persecution are all welcome here in the UK, no matter what visa their family member here in the UK has, that we will give them sanctuary?”
The home secretary pointed to the sponsorship scheme which will open up a route for Ukrainians who may not have family ties with the UK, but who may be able to match with individuals, charities, businesses and community groups instead.