Michael Gove has signalled he will work with Nicola Sturgeon to allow thousands of Ukraine refugees into the UK before they are matched with host families.
The UK Cabinet Minister described the joint plan from Wales and Scotland to be “super sponsors” of Ukraine refugees as a “generous offer” and said officials would try to make the scheme work.
Refugee charities and the Scottish First Minister raised fears the UK-wide scheme requiring host families to match themselves to refugees before they enter the UK will prove cumbersome and bureaucratic.
On Sunday, Sturgeon said the Scottish government stood ready to take 3,000 refugees immediately and match them to families later.
Outlining how the “Homes for Ukraine” scheme will work in the Commons, Gove said: “I was grateful to the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales for their generous offer to act as super sponsors and we’re doing everything we can in order to facilitate that.
“My officials are working with us and Scottish and Welsh Government in order to ensure that we can do so in a way that a enables everyone to live up to their responsibilities.”
The move was an apparent turn-around from the stance Downing Street took earlier in the day when the Prime Minister’s spokesman said that there was no intention to move away from either the family visa route which has brought in 4,000 refugees or the individual sponsorship scheme.
Gove said: “What we are hoping to do with the Scottish Government is for them to be a super sponsor, and then to allow them to work with local authorities in Scotland.
“That’s what’s been put forward to us as the best way forward by Scottish government and it seems sensible to me, we just need to try to make it work.”
The First Minister responded on twitter that she was not entirely convinced by Gove’s response.
She said: “So far the UK government has not rejected the ‘super-sponsor’ proposal but, frustratingly, it has not yet confirmed formal agreement either, so we are not yet able to finalise timescale/detail.”
Sturgeon said she hoped to speak to Gove later to push the idea forward.
She added: “To recap:The Scottish Government is offering to welcome 3,000 refugees, effectively immediately, and to assume full responsibility for safeguarding, housing and support. We’ve also set out how this can work within UK scheme. All we need now is UK Government to agree. Let’s hope that happens quickly.”
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