Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore has praised the United Kingdom’s humanitarian support for Ukraine, at both a local and national level, and urged everyone to do all they can to support the Ukrainian people at this time.
Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the United Kingdom has become the single largest bilateral donor to Ukraine, with the figure for the total offer of support to the Ukraine crisis now around £400 million. This includes £220 million in aid for medical supplies and a £100 million package to support Ukraine financially. It has also been announced that the Government will match the first £20 million donated to the Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal, which will support charities providing food, water, shelter and healthcare to refugees. A Refugees Minister has been appointed to coordinate support for those fleeing Ukraine.
Work is also being done locally to help Ukrainians. The Good Shepherd Centre in Keighley has organised donations of key supplies such as first aid materials, clothing and children’s activity packs. Moore wrote an open letter to the organisation to help them transport these donations across national borders to Poland.
Moore also raised the importance of Humanitarian Support in Parliament. In a question to Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, he stressed the importance of the Foreign Office having plans in place to ensure this support reaches aid agencies and the Ukrainian people as soon as possible. The Foreign Secretary confirmed the Government are working with European partners to make sure this happens as soon as possible.
Robbie Moore MP said: “The conflict in Ukraine is absolutely heart-breaking. Vladimir Putin is a war criminal who must fail, and whilst his awful actions continue, we must do absolutely everything to support the Ukrainian people.
I am proud of the fact that the United Kingdom is the largest bilateral donor to Ukraine. This includes vital funding for medical supplies, as well as other key items like food and clothing. I know we can sometimes feel helpless in situations like this, yet the work being done in Keighley and Ilkley shows how we can all do something to help. It was amazing to see the work done at The Good Shepherd Centre in Keighley, who in a short amount of time were able to send a huge shipment of supplies to Ukraine.
The Government must play their part in ensuring the support from members of our community gets to those who need it most. It is clear that in our area, we stand in total solidarity with the people of Ukraine.”
