ALTHOUGH “coverage of the war in Ukraine has waned, day by day suffering there has not; so our moral responsibility continues”, the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, said within the House of Lords last Friday, through the debate on Ukraine, introduced by Lord Coaker because the war’s 1000-day mark approached.
Tacking away from the theme of military support, Bishop Snow sought “to reflect on one other very essential and positive aspect of our response to the war . . . the Ukraine family scheme and the Ukraine sponsorship scheme . . . two of the one legal routes for people looking for asylum within the UK. More than 200,000 visas were issued to Ukrainians, and 1000’s of families from across the political spectrum offered their homes to those fleeing the war.”
He recalled “how generously the general public responded to the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme” (News, 18 March 2022, 17 March 2023), and the way the initiative had meant that “many successfully integrated into British society [with] around 70 per cent of working-age Ukrainian refugees in employment.” He said that “integration on this case didn’t mean assimilation. Ukrainian churches and cultural organisations held events and celebrations enabling refugees to take care of a connection to their homeland, in addition to construct friendships across social supports. This type of integration doesn’t occur by accident.”
He said that “selecting to talk compassionately about Ukrainian refugees and specializing in the kindness of families hosting them created the chance for refugees to find find out how to be each Ukrainian and British — to start healing from the trauma of war and displacement, and to start out constructing a latest life that honours the old.”
The Bishop acknowledged that the Ukraine scheme had not been “without challenges”, but wanted “to pose the query of why this isn’t the norm. If the foremost political parties and most of the people see this as the best response to an outbreak of war, and if we’re able each to offer people in desperate need a latest start and to profit from their skills, why only Ukraine? Why not make this the model for a sustainable way of welcoming all refugees looking for sanctuary within the UK?”
Baroness Hayter said: “Today, nearly 1000 days on, we weep for the lost people of Ukraine, for the lost homes, farms, factories, jobs, and lives, and for the lack of security. We weep, too, for the lack of families.
“The children’s charity Coram has identified that a particular feature of this war is the very large variety of moms and kids who’ve left the country. Those children are attending schools and receiving services within the UK which might be a far cry from those available back home. Significant support shall be needed to modernise children’s social care at speed once they return.”
Lord McConnell agreed. “We must proceed to do all we are able to to assist the Ukrainians — not only on the battlefield, but particularly in those preparations for reconstruction, by ensuring that they’ve as much access as possible to British corporations and expertise, and that we support them through the rebuilding of their public services.”
Numerous speakers considered the geopolitical implications. Baroness Helic said: “Ukraine is fighting for its own survival. It can also be, by extension, fighting for peace and security in Europe and beyond. If borders might be modified in Ukraine, a message will exit that they will change elsewhere, too.” Lord Balfe referred to “the Vatican position . . . that there must be negotiations, and that Russia have to be included. Cardinal Parolin, the Secretary of State within the Vatican, has made it very clear that he’s willing to act as a great envoy between the 2 sides.”
In the concluding speech, the Foreign Office minister Baroness Chapman referred to Bishop Snow’s points on “visas, and our plans for the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme . . . that there shall be a chance for Ukrainians here to increase their visa in the event that they need to, starting after Christmas”.
The motion, “That this House takes note of the situation in Ukraine”, was carried.
