People on Twitter are saying the Queen should let Ukrainian refugees stay at Buckingham Palace as she now lives in Windsor Castle.
The 95-year-old monarch has been residing at Windsor Castle since the start of the COVID pandemic, after she relocated to the royal residence in Berkshire with Prince Philip in March 2020.
After the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh the Queen made the decision to make Windsor Castle her permanent royal address.
UK Open Ukrainian Refugees
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, then told Sky News Britons will be able to open their homes to Ukrainian refugees under a new scheme he will lay out on Monday, March 14.
The PM said: “On Monday, you’ll get from the levelling up secretary, you’ll get the programme that will allow people to come in, so (if) people want to welcome (refugees) into their own homes, they can do so.”
The scheme will allow individuals and businesses to sponsor a refugee’s visa to the UK.
With this in mind people have taken to Twitter to volunteer Queen Elizabeth’s London home out to refugees in need – well, 52 royal and guest bedrooms would go pretty far.
Many people pointed out the palace was currently ’empty’ and just how many rooms it had. One even suggested MPs second homes should be opened up the refugees.
Another person said properties should be seized from sanctioned oligarchs for the refugees to stay in.
Rules For Taking In Refugees
Refugees who enter the UK through the new route proposed by the PM are expected to be allowed to stay for an initial period of 12 months in Britain.
During their time in the country refugees will be entitled to work, but details around which benefits and public services they would have access to are yet to be released.
Levelling Up Minister Michael Gove is due to set out details of a new ‘sponsored humanitarian’ route to allow Ukrainians without family links to the UK to come to the country.
The people or businesses taking in refugees will be; vetted to ensure the accommodation is safe and secure, will have to agree to take the refugees for a minimum period – understood to be between three and six months – and must demonstrate that they meet appropriate standards.
The UK has been criticised for only taking in about 1,000 refugees so far as over four million have now fled the war-torn Ukraine.