Boris Johnson promises more help for Ukrainian refugees

Boris Johnson has said the UK could take in 200,000 or more Ukrainian refugees as the government extends its scheme to help those fleeing the war.

The prime minister also said businesses would be able to sponsor a Ukrainian to come to the UK.

The Home Office is expected to outline more details shortly.

It follows criticism from Labour and others that the UK is not doing enough to help refugees and must follow the EU in helping Ukrainians forced to leave.

Around seven million people are thought to have been displaced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the United Nations reports that more than 500,000 people have fled the country.

EU countries have agreed to let in Ukrainian refugees for up to three years without first having to seek asylum, with more than 280,000 people having entered Poland so far.

Outlining UK policy on Monday, Home Secretary Priti Patel told Parliament that changes to visa rules would allow "any person settled in the UK" to bring over their immediate Ukrainian family members.

Speaking on a visit to Poland on Tuesday, Mr Johnson announced the rules would be altered again.

"We are extending the family scheme so that very considerable numbers would be eligible... You could be talking about a couple of hundred thousand, maybe more," he said.

"Additionally, we are going to have a humanitarian scheme and then a scheme by which UK companies and citizens can sponsor individual Ukrainians to come to the UK."

Mr Johnson also said the UK would provide £220m in emergency and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

Earlier, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "At the moment, what the Home Office is doing is trying to just tweak the existing system.

"They're trying to carry on with a version of business as usual, with a version of asking people to apply for traditional work visas or traditional visitor visas or traditional family visas that are still narrowly drawn."

Ms Cooper said the UK's response had to be "fast and flexible", adding: "That is what other countries have done in different ways and that is what we can do as well."

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Today that Ms Cooper's comments "didn't make any sense at all", adding: "On the one hand [Labour] wanted us to move quickly, which the home secretary has done.

"On the other hand they wanted us to set up something new from scratch. Those two things rub against each other, I'm afraid."

Mr Raab added that "in conflict zones around the world... first and foremost, most people want to stay in their home country".

"In between staying in Ukraine and coming to the UK, the preference for most of those fleeing is to stay in countries near the region," he added.

"I think the UK... is stepping up to the plate, but we do so with our international partners."