Ukraine refugees: Calais visa scenes damaged UK - Mark Drakeford

Members of a Ukrainian family wait for paperwork to be completed at the ferry terminal in Calais, France

Reports of Ukrainian refugees turned away from entering the UK in Calais have damaged the UK's reputation, Wales' first minister has said.

The BBC has reported that around 600 refugees are stuck there.

Speaking in the Senedd, Mark Drakeford called for the UK government to "cut the red tape" to help people flee the war.

The UK government has said it is keeping its support "under constant review".

It said it has granted visas to 300 Ukrainian refugees, and that 17,700 applications for people to re-join relatives have been started.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said the UK could and would do more to support refugees.

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After criticism from France that the UK's approach showed a "lack of humanity", Home Secretary Priti Patel said she had "surged a Home Office team" to help at Calais - and denied anyone had been turned back at the border.

The BBC found a Home Office presence at a local administrative building had disappeared on Monday morning, while a sign at a hostel where many refugees were staying directed them to Brussels or Paris for visa applications.

'Damaged UK's reputation'

Speaking during First Minister's Questions Mark Drakeford said: "The accounts of what has happened in Calais have damaged the reputation of this country around the world.

"When the Home Secretary said she was surging a team to Calais to help people it turned out to be three people with a box of KitKat and crisps.

"This is absolutely not what people in this country expect their government to be doing."

His comments followed questions from Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price, who called for the UK government to show "the same the sense of moral urgency to the situation of this gravity the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two commands".

Later on Twitter Mr Drakeford said: "The UK government needs to revisit its immigration policies to cut the red tape and do more to help those fleeing the violence in Ukraine."

More than 2 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the start of Russia's military offensive, according to the UN

Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Conservative Senedd leader, asked Mr Drakeford what work is being undertaken to understand the impact on food production from the war, with Ukraine and Russia responsible for 30% of global wheat exports.

Mr Drakeford said the UK was not as exposed as other parts of the world, but said there would be an impact on food production, with 40% of the world's potash - which is used as a fertiliser - coming from Belarus and Russia.

He said government officials had carried out an analysis, but said it would be fed into assessments of the UK government who he said would make "key decisions" to address the consequences.

Senior council leaders - including a Conservative council leader - have called for the Ukrainian refugee visa system to be scrapped.

A statement from the Welsh Local Government Association group leaders, which includes Monmouth Tory leader Richard John, said it has written to Boris Johnson calling for "more clarity and act with greater urgency in responding to the refugee crisis".

"Local Government in Wales is ready to do whatever it can to help those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine and are making preparations," the statement said.

"Leaders called for the current restrictive and bureaucratic visa scheme to be scrapped to enable those people trying to escape the war in Ukraine to come to Wales and find a safe place as easily and as quickly as possible."

The UK government said: "Last week we announced a new sponsorship route which will allow Ukrainians with no family ties to the UK to be sponsored to come to the UK.

"This is alongside our Ukraine Family Scheme, which has already seen thousands of people apply, as well as changes to visas so that people can stay in the UK safely.

"The routes we have put in place follow extensive engagement with Ukrainian partners. This is a rapidly moving and complex picture and as the situation develops we will continue to keep our support under constant review."

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