Why is Britain reluctant to open its doors to Ukrainians?

Among opposition politicians there is a new question being asked of the war in Ukraine: why has the UK not taken in more refugees? A mere 50 visas were initially issued by the Home Office. Meanwhile, Poland had taken in more than a million Ukrainians, Hungary 180,000, Slovakia 128,000 and even little Moldova 83,000.

Labour shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, whose now-ancient personal offer to accommodate refugees in one of her own homes remains mysteriously unmentioned, hit out at a Home Office update that 300 family scheme visas had in fact been issued. She branded the revised number ‘shockingly low & painfully slow’.

Never mind that the countries listed above actually border Ukraine, while the UK is more than 1,000 miles away. And never mind that Ukraine’s ambassador to London Vadym Prystaiko has said it was easier for ‘nations around us’ to take in refugees, while ‘we will ask nations that are much further distance-wise to support this effort of the smaller nations financially to help them’.