Boris Johnson: Ukrainians in UK can bring immediate family members over

The Prime Minister made the announcement after a service at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Mayfair, London, on Sunday night.

He said: "We want to be as generous as we possibly can, and certainly we want people who have relatives in Ukraine to be able to bring them over as fast as possible.

“We want to make sure that we have routes for people fleeing disaster, war, persecution in Ukraine to come here. And we’re setting aside more to help with the humanitarian crisis in the countries bordering Ukraine, putting another £40 million for medical supplies and immediate help.

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) lights a candle during a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Holy Family of London, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine (PA)

“We’ll also be partnering up with some of the countries in the immediate vicinity of Ukraine to help bring people over.

“Don’t forget, the UK, since 2015 has been one of the most generous, if not the most, welcoming country in Europe, and I’m very proud that since I’ve been Prime Minister actually we’ve had very large numbers of people from Hong Kong, and a huge welcome for the people from Afghanistan. We will be very generous to the Ukrainians.”

Asked what he means by “very generous” and asked how many people would be accepted, Mr Johnson said: “Well, we will have a system that lets people come when they’re in fear of persecution, when they need to… for family reunion or other purposes.

“Don’t forget the UK, is a… I’m a former Mayor of London which is the most diverse city on earth and all the better for it. We thrive and prosper partly as a result of being open to hardworking people from around the world. Ukrainians already contributed a huge amount to our country and to our society.”