I utterly and unequivocally condemn Russia both for the recognition of the rebel republics of Donetsk and Luhansk and more particularly for its invasion of Ukraine. As I drove back to Westminster on Sunday I was sadly not able to stop to join in with massed protesters waiving Ukrainian flags and chanting outside the Russian Embassy in London. So, I joined in enthusiastically and somewhat emotionally hooting my car horn in support of them.
As the Leader of the UK Delegation to the Council of Europe, I helped lead the way in getting Russia suspended from the Council. I was publicly thanked by the Speaker of the UK Parliament on 28 February 2022 for my role in achieving this. This was a move which could be done quickly and was done quickly. I personally supported it and helped lead the campaign to achieve it. My colleagues and I have been warning of the harm which the Russian Delegation was doing when it came back to the Council and where this would lead.
The majority of emails I have received have concentrated on one issue – the issuing of visas to Ukrainians. Many have put the case for cancelling visas in a polite way. But some 30-40% of emails come from those who have written to me before criticising the Prime Minister.
The Secretary of State for Defence was clear today (28 February 2022) that the announcements about UK visas for Ukrainians were only "the first step" in the UK’s package of support. Of course, we must go further, and we will. The first safe havens for Ukrainian refugees are Poland, Moldova, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. We must provide support to them and we are doing so through the group I lead on the Council of Europe – the organisation responsible for looking after the treatment of refugees in Europe – whether this originates from migration or from war.
I am extremely proud that we are leading the world in establishing diplomatic and economic sanctions and providing military equipment against this invasion. I have talked to fellow MPs in the Ukrainian parliament and heard first hand what they need. They would like a no fly zone over Ukraine but this risks a direct military confrontation between Russia and NATO. The Ukrainian Parliament does not believe we have been slow or unhelpful in our implementation of sanctions or in the leadership role we have taken to make them meaningful across Europe. The effect can be seen in the growing collapse of the Russian economy.
Many people have asked for the UK to ban Russia from SWIFT as if SWIFT was a UK responsibility. SWIFT stands for The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. It is not a UK company but a Belgian cooperative society providing transactional services worldwide. Over the past weekend I have contacted political leaders across Europe urging them to use their good offices to support a ban on Russia and this weekend they did. Again, leadership from the UK.
Now is not the time for party politics to play a role in the reaction to this invasion.
