UK Edition
Ministerial grace-and-favour homes could be used to house Ukrainian refugees
Boris Johnson has asked officials to “look into” the idea after the Government asked the British public to open up their homes
Chequers, Chevening and other ministerial grace-and-favour homes could house Ukrainian refugees after Boris Johnson ordered officials to review their use to help the humanitarian crisis.
Government sources said the Prime Minister had asked officials to “look into” whether the grace-and-favour houses used by senior ministers could offer refuge for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.
It follows the launch last week of the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme where the British public are being asked to open up their homes to refugees without any family links to the UK.
Some 150,000 individuals and organisations have so far registered to participate. The application process officially launched on Friday and the first refugees are expected to arrive within the next few days. It comes on top of nearly 10,000 refugees with family links so far granted visas for the UK.
There are at least five ministerial grace-and-favour homes that could be used including Chequers, the Buckinghamshire country retreat given to the nation in 1917 for the serving Prime Minister, and Chevening, the 115-room Kent mansion that is the official residence of the Foreign Secretary.
Asked about the use of grace-and-favour homes for refugees, a Government source said: “It is something that the Prime Minister has asked officials to look into. It is a possibility but it is not straightforward. They are all owned by trusts and there are obviously issues with security.”
Mr Johnson, when asked about the possibility, added: “I am very happy for those that are responsible to look into it.”
It follows the public declarations to take in refugees by two Cabinet Ministers - Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, and Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary, who is the minister overseeing the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Yesterday Chancellor Rishi Sunak ruled out his participation, but said that he and his wife “will be helping in other ways.”
There is potentially bedroom space in the five grace-and-favour homes for around 100 refugees, based on there being 37 double bedrooms with space for some children.
Besides Chequers and Chevening, there is also Dorneywood, the 18th century Buckinghamshire mansion that has traditionally been used by Chancellors, and Carlton Gardens and Admiralty Arch which have four apartments or flats for use by ministers.
The move came as John Caudwell, the billionaire founder of Phones4U, and his partner, former Olympic cyclist Modesta Vzesniauskaite announced they would open up their home for two Ukrainian refugees.
He said he would offer a two-bedroom house on the grounds of his home in Eccleshall in Staffordshire to two people who have fled the conflict in Ukraine. The offer comes with food and utilities paid for “as long as they need it”.
Criticising the slow response of the UK Government to the refugee crisis as “embarrassing”, Mr Caudwell said he considered his offer as a “small gesture and my humanitarian duty”.
“As Eastern Europe struggles to address the worsening crisis, I urge wealthy individuals to step up and offer shelter in their homes,” he said.
Speaking to Hello! magazine, Ms Vzesniauskaite, who was born in Lithuania, recalled the “fear and trauma” from her childhood when the Soviet Union attempted to occupy her country on Bloody Sunday in 1991.
“It’s a feeling of terror I will never forget. On Friday 11 January 1991, when I was eight years old, an alarm went off at school and a teacher said, ‘Run home quickly! The Russians are coming to occupy Lithuania’.
“I was terrified and ran so fast. For three days my family sat in the house feeling terrified. The Russian soldiers passed through my city to take the capital Vilnius and a lot of people were killed. But thank God that two days later Lithuania found freedom.”