Why Britain should offer asylum to Ukrainians

There is not much more that Britain can do for Ukraine. We have done more than most: sent 2,000 anti-tank missiles and stationed troops in eastern Europe to help other allies. But as thousands flee Kiev – not knowing if Putin will turn it into the next Grozny – there is something immediate and profound that Britain can do: offer asylum.

Brexit powers of border control can be used to allow anyone with a Ukrainian passport to come here. Ukraine has a population of 44 million – it’s a small country. It wasn’t so long ago that 450 million Europeans had an unconditional right to live and work in the UK – and our country didn’t topple over then. So a generous and immediate offer to Ukraine would be doable and a clear demonstration that Britain is an ally worth having and is one of the few things we can do, now, for its people. 

Britain is suffering an acute labour shortage, so the economics are right. But even if they weren’t, we are in a crisis where the notion of solidarity with allies is being tested. Offering sanctuary to those Ukrainians fleeing the prospect of being bombed or persecuted by Putin would show that “Global Britain” is more than a soundbite.

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Offering asylum in this way can be controversial, as it was in 1972 when a Tory government offered to fly over 27,000 Ugandan Asians persecuted by Idi Amin. That was a huge success with the newcomers (and their offspring) strengthening the country –  Priti Patel herself is the most famous example of the influx. The parallel, I’m sure, will not be lost on her.  Patel and Dominic Raab, also the son of a refugee, have both been very strong in welcoming the Hong Kong Chinese. We have, the Ukrainians, another clear contender for immediate and unconditional help.`

When Merkel made her “we can do this!” offer to those coming across the Mediterranean it ended in disaster, empowering people smugglers and introducing complicated issues of how you integrate people from very different cultures and far-lower levels of skills and education. The case for helping Ukraine is more simple. The wave of Polish immigration has been a stunning success: there’s no reason to believe that Ukrainian migrants would be any less successful.

This need not be complicated. Ukrainians should be allowed to stay here for a year or two at first, longer if needed, until such times as it’s safe to return to Ukraine. The last twenty years have shown just how well Britain can handle migration: we have the apparatus, the economic need and (through Putin’s atrocities) the moral imperative. With 140,000 Ukrainians already on the move, according to the UN, the need is certainly there. And Britain has a powerful opportunity to be a friend in need.