Rishi Sunak backs Blankets For Ukraine campaign to help those in need in winter

Mercy to Ukraine refugees is a duty

RISHI Sunak knows Brits will do all they can to support Ukraine.

And it is good to hear the Prime Minister backing our Blankets For Ukraine knitting campaign to help those freezing in the war-torn country.

He says: “Thanks to this campaign I know even more Brits will get involved to provide further comfort and protection for the people of Ukraine.”

By the same token, the public has also taken the “Homes for Ukraine” scheme to their hearts.

Tens of thousands have flung open their doors to refugees fleeing Putin’s mindless slaughter.

But it will deeply upset people to hear that the initiative could be scrapped in this month’s budget.

Yes, the Government needs to plug a £50billion black hole in the nation’s coffers.

But at a time when illegal migrants are being housed in hotels and hostels at a cost of millions of pounds a day, axing this scheme would seem grotesque.

People who generously take in Ukrainian refugees rent-free get just £350 a month for up to six months.

Many would share their houses for longer if the cash lifeline was extended.

Most Brits want to support Ukrainians heart and soul in their hour of need — here and in their devastated home country.

That means putting our money where our mouth is.

Not just with weapons but also with the welcome mat.

When it comes to Ukraine, voters will not forgive anything less.

Migrant Mayhem

WIRE fencing used as claws, planks of wood used as battering rams against staff.

On Friday night riot cops went in at Harmondsworth detention centre near Heathrow to control 100 migrants.

Earlier in the week, two staff were injured in trouble at Manston in Kent.

Every day seems to bring more appalling news about the migrant crisis.

Rishi Sunak has an overflowing in-tray and a critical budget looming.

But the immigration emergency is spinning out of control.

We report today that Justice Secretary Dominic Raab’s British Bill of Rights is being brought back after it was shelved by the former Prime Minister Liz Truss.

This can’t come soon enough.

It is vital that our courts have the power to overrule unelected judges in Strasbourg, giving the Government more opportunity to deport illegal migrants.

Meanwhile, the mayhem at overcrowded immigration centres is gaining a momentum of its own.

The Prime Minister needs to get a grip of the crisis now. While he still can.