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Phillip Schofield blasts Priti Patel over Ukrainian refugee policy and says UK should be ‘flinging our doors open’
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Phillip Schofield questioned why the UK is not being ‘more welcoming’ when letting Ukrainian citizens enter the country as they flee the ongoing conflict with Russia.
This Morning’s hosts Schofield and Holly Willoughby were joined by Nicola Thorp and Matthew Wright as they discussed Tuesday’s news stories.
However, it was the Ukraine/Russia conflict that remained top of the list, with the panel discussing Home Secretary Priti Patel’s latest announcement on who from Ukraine would be able to come into the UK.
On Monday, Ms Patel announced an extension of visa rules to ‘immediate family members’ that would allow Ukrainians to ‘seek sanctuary’ in the UK.
For the latest updates on the Russia-Ukraine war, visit our live blog: Russia-Ukraine live
But many have criticised the rules for not being more lenient, like other European nations.
Schofield agreed and said the UK needed to ‘fling our doors open’ to those seeking sanctuary.
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He said: ‘Why are we not being more welcoming? Poland said, “Get out of there and come in.”
‘We are setting out these rules there was an elderly lady stuck at Gare Du Nord, who couldn’t get into the country.
‘Priti Patel stood up and showed yes across the house that she could come. Then, the news afterwards – not sure what the situation is now – that she still couldn’t come… but that’s one person!’
The studio has Ukrainian flags in as the hosts made clear their support (Picture: ITV)
He went on to make an impassioned plea, saying: ‘Why aren’t we flinging our doors open?’
The host pointed out how many of those trying to leave Ukraine do not want to go far from their home nation, fleeing to nearby countries such as Poland and Germany.
He added: ‘They want to stay relatively close to the border, to Ukraine, in case they can go back. Not many of them want to travel this far.
Ukrainians were pictured fleeing across the border to enter Poland, near Mostyska, Ukraine (Picture: Reuters)
‘But those who’ve got family and support and friends here, surely we should drop those restrictions and say in you come
Nicola weighed in: ‘Immediately, I think people across the country, if they could take someone in from Ukraine, they would.’
More: ITV
The visa rules were extended on Monday to mean ‘any person settled in the UK’ would be allowed to bring in ‘immediate family members.’
Meanwhile, the EU is set to offer all Ukrainian nationals asylum for three years, after more than 500,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV.
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