The UK government will ask the British public to open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the fighting in their country, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed.
The Daily Telegraph reported that ministers will ask individuals, charities, businesses, and community groups to offer rooms to Ukrainian refugees through a hotline and a webpage.
Johnson told Sky News on Thursday that Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, will unveil the programme on Monday.
A government spokesman said the details of the scheme are still being worked on.
“The routes we have put in place follow extensive engagement with Ukrainian partners,” the spokesman said. “This is a rapidly moving and complex picture and as the situation develops we will continue to keep our support under constant review.”
Technology minister Chris Philp told Sky News on Friday that the details of the plan will be set out “in the very near future.”
The UK government has come under pressure from both Conservative and opposition lawmakers to do more to take in Ukrainian refugees.
While the European Union allows visa-free travel for Ukrainian refugees, the UK has insisted that visas are necessary to guarantee security.
On Thursday, Home Secretary Priti Patel announced that the visa procedures for Ukrainian refugees have been simplified.
Under the new rules, Ukrainians with passports will be able to apply for visas “fully online” and will not need to submit their biometric information until they have arrived in Britain.
According to the United Nations, 2.5 million refugees have now fled the war in Ukraine.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi wrote on Twitter on Friday: “The number of refugees from Ukraine—tragically—has reached today 2.5 million.”
The UN also estimates that about 2 million people are displaced inside Ukraine.
On Thursday, the prime minister warned that the “cynical, barbaric” Russian regime appeared to be preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine.
“The stuff which you are hearing about chemical weapons is straight out of the Russian playbook,” he told Sky News.
“They start saying that there are chemical weapons that are being stored by their opponents or by the Americans, so that when they themselves deploy chemical weapons—as I fear they may—they have a sort of a maskirovka, a fake story, ready to go.”
It comes as the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) warned Russia could be re-posturing for a “renewed offensive” in Ukraine.
“This will probably include operations against the capital Kyiv,” a MoD statement said.
