FORMER government minister Richard Harrington has been appointed as the Minister for Refugees, Downing Street has said.
Harrington, who stood down as a MP at the 2019 General Election, will be made a life peer sitting in the House of Lords.
It comes as the UK Government faces severe criticism over its failure to accept more refugees fleeing Ukraine following the Russian invasion.
It emerged on Friday that just 500 visas have been issued to Ukrainians with family already in the UK.
READ MORE: Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky asks UK Parliament to step up Russian sanctions
Others have arrived at Calais on route to the UK to be told to go instead to Paris or Brussels to get the right paperwork.
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, SNP international development spokesperson Chris Law criticised the UK's "pitiful" approach.
“Shamefully, this morning we learned in the Daily Telegraph that while Ireland has waived visas and expects to welcome 100,000 refugees, the UK Government has expressed fears that this will create a drug route to the UK," he said.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson claims UK is 'generous' as possible towards Ukrainian refugees
He said: “Does the Foreign Secretary realise that the Home Office’s continued xenophobic and inhumane immigration policy must be for her and her office a complete humiliation as it undermines the support for Ukraine’s people, and will she now call on her colleague the Home Secretary either to reverse this policy or to resign?”
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “We’ve opened up two new routes. The Home Secretary has opened up a family route, she has opened up a sponsored humanitarian route, and we’re also doing huge support in the region. We are working very closely with the Ukrainian Government as well as local governments like the Polish.”
More to follow
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