Priti Patel apologises for low number of Ukraine refugees arriving in UK

Home Office figures show 12,000 have reached Britain under two visa schemes

• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates

Priti Patel has apologised for the time it has taken for Ukrainian refugees to arrive in the UK under two visa schemes, after new figures showed just 12,000 have so far reached Britain.

While other European countries have accepted hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the Russian invasion, only about 1,200 people have so far arrived in Britain under the Homes for Ukraine scheme for those who are sponsored by UK hosts. Another 10,800 have arrived under the Ukrainian family scheme for those with existing family connections to the UK.