Ukraine car exemption too late, campaigners say

Campaigner Baljeet Nijjhar said refugees deserved an apology from the government

A government U-turn on rules for Ukrainian refugees' cars has come too late to avoid costly bills for many, campaigners have said.

Ministers have announced a three-year exemption from UK vehicle registration, increased from six months.

Some cars have previously needed expensive work to comply with UK law.

Campaigner Baljeet Nijjhar said refugees deserved an apology. The Department for Transport (DfT) said it had needed time to consider the issue.

Former MP Dame Annette Brooke (right) said her Ukrainian guest had been forced to buy a new car

Ms Nijjhar, a refugee host from London who runs a support website for Ukrainians, said she was "baffled" by the rule change on 18 July.

She said: "Ukrainians, their hosts and MPs have been asking the DfT over the last year why they could not be treated the same way under the law as other temporary residents such as overseas students and workers.

"While we welcome the change in policy at last, we fear it's far too late for many Ukrainians who were forced to unnecessarily replace car parts and take out insurance policies costing thousands of pounds as a consequence, or who were forced to undergo hazardous journeys back to the war zone they fled from, to return their so-called non-compliant cars."

Romsey and Southampton North MP Caroline Nokes said the rule change would make a "big difference" to Ukrainian refugees

Campaigner and UK host Phil Palfrey, from Romsey, Hampshire, said he was aware of a refugee who drove her car back to Ukraine to avoid a £3,000 car light bill.

He said an earlier rule change would have avoided the risky journey.

Former Dorset Liberal Democrat MP Dame Annette Brooke, who campaigned for the change, said her Ukrainian guest had incurred "much anxiety and expense purchasing a British car so that she could make essential journeys - money that she could ill afford".

Romsey and Southampton North Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, who also wrote to the government about the issue, said the extension would make a "big difference" to refugees.

A DfT spokesperson said: "We are actively supporting Ukrainians in the UK, and this latest measure will help many go about their daily lives.

"It was important we took the time to give due consideration to the implications and legislation surrounding vehicle taxation and registration."