Sabir Zazai: Shame on ministers for putting the responsibility for refugees onto ordinary people. The UK must step up

This crisis demands a response from the UK that matches the gravity of the situation and the desire from the public to act. Sadly, we are falling far short.

Priti Patel announced last week a new sponsorship scheme would be launched allowing individuals, communities and businesses across the UK to apply to bring somebody from Ukraine to live in their community for a year.

We know the Scottish public are eager to help, and we expect many offers of support when we get details but it’s unacceptable for the Home Office to be shunting responsibility for bringing people to safety onto the public.

As it asks ordinary people to step up, the UK Government is stepping down from its moral and legal obligations to offer meaningful assistance, solidarity and protection.

Of course, we welcome any move to bring people to safety, these meagre schemes just do not go far enough. The UK must follow Ireland and waive visa requirements for people from Ukraine.

The European Union also voted to enact the temporary protection directive for the first time in its history, allowing all Ukrainians to live in any EU member state in safety for up to three years. While European Counties are acting in step with the gravity of this crisis, the UK is lagging behind.

At the same time as Boris Johnson is making speeches about his support for the Ukrainian people, his government is pushing the anti-refugee bill through parliament. This bill breaks international law on refugee rights and has been condemned by the UN.

This bill will make it a crime to arrive “unofficially” in the UK to seek asylum. This means that somebody fleeing Ukraine, or Taliban rule in Afghanistan, who reaches the UK off their own back, could be prosecuted just for seeking safety and freedom. And when they are recognised in need of our protection, they will be treated differently from other refugees. Crises like these show the anti-refugee bill to be totally unfit for today’s unstable world.

Last month, members of the Scottish Parliament voted by 94-29 to reject this cruel bill and say loud and clear that it is not in Scotland’s name and last week the House of Lords voted to remove these harshest parts of the bill, and insert clauses which commit to resettling 10,000 people from war, terror and oppression from around the world.

MPs must now follow suit when the bill returns to the Commons and significantly amend this law, legislation which is totally unfit to meet the moral and practical needs of today’s unstable world.

All refugees, no matter which routes they take and which conflicts they flee, must be treated equally with compassion and fairness.

Sabir Zazai is chief executive of the Scottish Refugee Council