UK Home Minister Accused of Misleading Parliament on Visas for Ukrainian Refugees

© AFP 2023 / JESSICA TAYLORA handout photograph released by the UK Parliament shows Britain's Home Secretary Priti Patel making a Statement on the 'Small boats incident in the Channel', in the House of Commons in London on November 25, 2021.
A handout photograph released by the UK Parliament shows Britain's Home Secretary Priti Patel making a Statement on the 'Small boats incident in the Channel', in the House of Commons in London on November 25, 2021.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.03.2022
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LONDON (Sputnik) – Senior lawmaker from the ruling UK Conservative Party Roger Gale on Tuesday accused Home Office minister Priti Patel of misleading the parliament over a visa application centre for Ukrainian refugees she said her ministry was setting up on the way to the French port of Calais.
"In response to my question yesterday she said ‘I have made it clear, in terms of the visa application centre that has now been set up en-route to Calais that we have staff in Calais.’ This was untrue and under any normal administration that in itself would be a resignation matter," Gale told Parliament.
Earlier, foreign minister Liz Truss told lawmakers that the visa application centre was being set up in Lille, 110 km (68.4 miles) from Calais, drawing more criticism from legislators over the way the government is handling the situation.
"It cannot be right that there is no visa application centre in Calais and Ukrainian refugees who travel thousands of miles to Calais are being redirected to either Paris or Brussels," Labour lawmaker Diane Abbott said.
Unlike other European countries, under the visa scheme implemented by the UK government following Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, only those with relatives in the UK can apply for an entry visa.
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