Seize oligarch mansions to house Ukrainian refugees. Only 8 sanctioned so far, as Australia sanctions 350

The Liberal Democrats have demanded that the Government seize mansions and houses belonging to oligarchs linked to Putin's regime, and use them to help house Ukrainian refugees.

In a letter to the Home Secretary, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said UK properties owned by Putin's cronies should be used to house Ukrainian refugees temporarily while they await permanent resettlement.

He added this could prevent the situation faced by Afghan refugees last year, many of whom were left languishing for months in hotel rooms or military barracks while they awaited permanent accommodation.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to establish a fast, safe route for Ukrainian refugees to come to the UK. The party is also demanding that local councils should receive a five-year funding package for every Ukrainian refugee they resettle.

"For too long Putin's cronies have treated London as their playground, buying up luxury properties as a way to launder their dirty money," Alistair Carmichael said.

"Much of this property is currently sitting empty, while Ukrainian families are desperately fleeing their homeland looking for a safe place to live.

"It's time to freeze these assets and put them to good use, by temporarily housing Ukrainian refugees escaping this terrible war.

"The Government needs to learn the lessons from the botched Afghan resettlement scheme that saw families left languishing in crowded hotel rooms for months before being rehomed."

The letter to the Home Secretary from Alistair Carmichael MP is as follows:

Dear Home Secretary,

I am writing to you regarding Ukrainian refugees.

Just days on from Vladimir Putin's decision to carry out an unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine, we are already seeing significant numbers of Ukrainians fleeing to safety. According to the UN, over 800,000 Ukrainians have crossed the border into neighbouring countries.

Given the brutal targeting of civilian populations, a flagrant breach of international law, it is highly likely that this number of displaced people will only continue to increase in the coming days and weeks.

Liberal Democrats have already called on the UK Government to make an ambitious commitment to resettle Ukrainian refugees in the UK. Our country has a proud history of providing sanctuary to those forced to flee war and persecution, and we must not turn our backs on the people of Ukraine in their hour of need. That must include withdrawing the Nationality and Borders Bill, that would criminalise Ukrainian refugees - and any others - who come to the UK to seek asylum.

Just like with Afghanistan last summer, it is highly possible that a significant number of Ukrainians who seek refuge in the UK have to be put up in temporary accommodation while waiting to be permanently resettled.

We know that Putin's cronies have treated London as their playground - storing their dirty money in the UK in the form of property. According to Transparency International UK, £1.5 billion of property has been bought with suspicious Russian wealth - potentially just the tip of the iceberg, given the current lax regulations around property ownership declaration.

To date, the UK Government has sanctioned just eight of Putin's cronies. It is time to sanction them all - and freeze their assets, including any property they own in the UK. These properties should then be used to house any Ukrainian refugees, on a temporary basis, while they await permanent resettlement. Rather than languishing in hotel rooms - or worse, unsuitable barracks, we should be putting Putin's cronies' assets to good use.

I hope that you will urgently take these steps. We do not have a second to lose.

I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Alistair Carmichael MP