Dozens of MPs call on Starmer to 'urgently' establish Ukraine-style visa for Gazans

Dozens of MPs person called connected Sir Keir Starmer to "urgently" found a Ukraine-style visa to allow Gazans with household successful the UK to travel to Britain.

In a missive seen exclusively by Sky News, the 67 MPs and Lords from crossed the governmental spectrum, person asked the premier curate and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to make a "Gaza Family Scheme" to "reunite [Palestinians] with their loved ones successful the UK until it is harmless to return".

"Just arsenic the UK opened its doors to those fleeing persecution successful Ukraine and Hong Kong, we judge that the aforesaid generosity should beryllium extended to Palestinian families," the missive says.

Shortly aft Russia invaded Ukraine successful 2022, the UK opened up the Ukraine Family Scheme allowing Ukrainian nationals to articulation household members successful the UK and live, enactment and survey successful the UK for up to 3 years. Applications closed successful February 2024.

Two years before, the UK opened the British National (Overseas) visa to let Hong Kongers fleeing aft a strict nationalist information instrumentality was imposed by China to unrecorded successful the UK for 5 years past use for British citizenship.

The letter, sent to the PM connected Sunday evening, has been signed by 35 Labour MPs and House of Lords members, including Marsha de Cordova, Clive Lewis, Stella Creasy, Richard Burgon, Kim Johnson, Afzal Khan, Rachael Maskell, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Andy Slaughter and Alex Sobel.

Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell are among a fistful of erstwhile Labour MPs suspended from the enactment past twelvemonth to motion the letter, arsenic are each 4 Green MPs, Lib Dem MPs Tim Farron and Layla Moran, respective Northern Ireland MPs and SNP MPs Graham Leadbitter and Brendan O'Hara.

The Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehquani, has besides signed the letter.

Only 1 Conservative, erstwhile peculiar advisor to William Hague, Baroness Helic, signed it.

In the letter, the politicians explicit their "grave interest astatine the immense suffering inflicted connected Palestinians successful Gaza".

They impeach Israel of "shattering the impermanent ceasefire agreement", weaponising starvation, and intensifying its "campaign of bombardment and subject assaults, and targeting of radical accessing humanitarian aid".

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Labour MP Marsha de Cordova, who helped organise the missive with the Gaza Families Reunited campaign, told Sky News: "The Ukrainian Family Visa Scheme was the close effect to a brutal war.

"Establishing a Gaza Family Visa Scheme would beryllium an hold of those aforesaid principles, showing that this authorities is steadfast successful its committedness to helping families experiencing the worst horrors of war.

"It is clip for the authorities to enactment present to assistance British Palestinians get their loved ones to safety, enabling them to rebuild their lives."

The MPs besides accidental successful the missive that since Hamas attacked Israel connected 7 October 2023, sidesplitting astir 1,200 radical and taking 250 hostage, astatine slightest 53,000 Palestinians person been killed successful Gaza and "the existent decease toll is apt to beryllium exponentially higher".

They accidental a Gaza Family Scheme would let Palestinians successful Gaza to reunite with their families - "people they whitethorn ne'er spot again unless urgent enactment is taken".

The MPs accidental galore Gazans who person attempted to travel to the UK person "struggled to navigate the migration system", particularly arsenic they are required to supply biometrics to use for a visa but that is "impossible owed to the demolition of the visa exertion centre successful Gaza and blockade of the Rafah crossing".

They accidental determination are a deficiency of harmless zones oregon ways retired of Gaza and immoderate person constituents with household members who person fled Gaza to Egypt but "are stuck successful limbo, with nary entree to schools oregon healthcare to statesman the process of rebuilding their lives".

The missive adds that it would beryllium a "vital step" towards addressing the UK government's "historical, present, and ongoing work towards Palestinians successful Gaza" and the UK has a "duty to instrumentality each indispensable steps to clasp Israel to relationship for its crimes".

Ghassan Ghaban, spokesperson for Gaza Families Reunited, said "family unity is an undeniable quality right" and said Labour successful absorption urged the Conservative authorities to bash much to assistance British Palestinians get their relatives to safety.

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"We are inactive waiting for the caller authorities to bash the close thing," helium said.

"We, arsenic Palestinians successful the UK, simply privation the accidental to bring our loved ones from Gaza to safety, until it is harmless to return.

"The UK welcomed those fleeing warfare and persecution successful Ukraine and Hong Kong with unfastened arms. All we are asking for is the aforesaid attraction to beryllium extended to our household members who person experienced unimaginable trauma arsenic a effect of Israel's genocide successful Gaza."

He added determination is "only a tiny fig of Palestinians successful the UK", and an adjacent smaller fig with household members successful Gaza.

A authorities spokesperson said: "The decease and demolition successful Gaza is intolerable.

"Since time one, we person been wide that we request to spot an contiguous ceasefire, the merchandise of each hostages cruelly detained by Hamas, amended extortion of civilians, importantly much assistance consistently entering Gaza, and a way to semipermanent bid and stability.

"There are a scope of routes disposable for Palestinians who privation to articulation household members successful the UK."