Over half of UK thinks government hasn’t gone far enough for Ukrainian refugees

Over half of UK adults (52 per cent) think the government has not done enough to accept Ukrainian refugee to Britain, a recent poll has revealed.

Despite this, only nine per cent of them would definitely take in Ukrainian refugees, according to Opinium.

And 78 per cent agree that the UK should send arms to Ukraine such as anti-tank missiles and ammunition and 68 per cent support donating Western fighter planes for the Ukrainian air force to use in their defence against the Russian invasion.

Boris Johnson’s approval rating rises

It comes as Boris Johnon’s net approval rating has increased by six points in the last fortnight to -27.

Over a quarter of the UK said they would trust Johnson to stand up to Russia more than Starmer, with 28 per cent believing in the prime minister versus 15 per cent in the Labour leader. But 36 per cent think neither is to be trusted in the current situation, accounting for 36 per cent.

Despite Brits seemingly being disappointed about the way Johnson’s govrnment has managed the Ukrainian refugee crisis, the Tories’ lead rose slightly to 35 per cent. Meanwhile, Labour’s lead has shrunk to 37 per cent.

The poll has also shown a big increase in Brits concerned about the UK economy worsening over the next 12 months, accounting for 71 per cent, whilst over half said energy bills have been the biggest hit to their finances this year.

Joe Curran, senior research executive at Opinium said: “Unsurprisingly, the war in Ukraine was a major component of this week’s poll.

“Whilst most European countries are granting fleeing Ukrainians visa-free refuge, the UK has so far opted to require visas, to much outrage from certain quarters. Our polling finds that over-half (52 per cent) of the British public think that the government hasn’t gone far enough in accepting refugees.”

Government to ask UK people to take Ukrainians in their homes

He added: “As for Boris Johnson, a cynic would say that the crisis in Ukraine offers both a distraction from domestic controversies and also the opportunity to act the statesman.

“Indeed we have seen a small uptick in his approval ratings although we can’t say for certain that this is related to the war in the east. Whether this trend continues depends on many factors including the deepening cost of living crisis.”

The government is expected to ask the British public on Monday to open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the fighting in their country amid continuing criticism of its response to the refugee crisis.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove will set out details of a new “sponsored” humanitarian route to allow Ukrainians without family links to the UK to come to the country.

The Daily Telegraph reported that ministers will unveil a hotline and webpage where individuals, charities, businesses and community groups will be able to offer rooms to those escaping the conflict.

Andra Maciuca

Andra is a multilingual, award-winning NQJ senior journalist and the UK’s first Romanian representing co-nationals in Britain and reporting on EU citizens for national news. She is interested in UK, EU and Eastern European affairs, EU citizens in the UK, British citizens in the EU, environmental reporting, ethical consumerism and corporate social responsibility. She has contributed articles to VICE, Ethical Consumer and The New European and likes writing poetry, singing, songwriting and playing instruments. She studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield and has a Masters in International Business and Management from the University of Manchester. Follow her on: