'Very embarrassing' UK has only welcomed 'around 50' Ukrainian refugees as Priti Patel promises to relax rules

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Labour's shadow business secretary says he is 'very embarrassed' that the UK has so far only granted 'around 50' visas to refugees fleeing Ukraine.

The UN says 1.5 million have escaped the country in 10 days since Russia's invasion, with more expected to follow.

But the Home Office says just 'around 50' have been granted visas to stay in the UK since escaping Ukraine, and Labour is urging the Government to step up.

READ MORE: Ukraine-Russia LIVE updates as ceasefire announced to allow citizens to flee after young family 'killed by Russian troops'

Jonathan Reynolds, Labour MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, is urging the Government to step up its support for Ukrainian refugees.

Asked by Kay Burley on Sky News this morning how embarrassed he was that only 50 visas had been granted, he replied: "Very".

"We were receiving very good intelligence reports weeks before Russia actually invaded," he said.

"So I can't understand the lack of planning on a humanitarian side that the Government just seems to have not done.

"We're all incredibly heartened by the Ukrainian resistance, but originally people thought Ukraine could fall within 48 hours, so the humanitarian flows would have been expected to be even greater than what we have seen.

"The Government need to do an emergency visa - this is not business as usual, this is not normal immigration to the UK, they should have a special regime in place recognising that people coming from Ukraine are not in a traditional visa application process."

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees tweeted on Sunday that 1.5 million people had fled Ukraine.

It tweeted: "This is now the fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II.

"In the coming days millions more lives will be uprooted, unless