Some 10,000 Brits an hour are volunteering to take in a refugee from Ukraine, a Foreign Office minister declared today.
James Cleverly hailed generous Brits as the number signing up to express their interest in a new scheme hit 88,712 this morning.
He said he was "actually quite proud" the website crashed when the Homes for Ukraine scheme launched yesterday. Brit sponsors will be paid £350 a month and have to offer their spare room for at least six months.
But critics have branded it a "DIY asylum" scheme as, when full visa applications open this Friday, applicants will need to know the name of the person or family they will take into their home from Ukraine.
People can in future be matched to strangers they want to help, but not yet, and the matching will likely have to be run by community or charity groups rather than the government.
You can read about how to sign up for the scheme here.
There are also concerns about security for the fleeing families, as Brit hosts will be vetted but not face a full teacher-style DBS check.
A string of MPs including Keir Starmer, Matt Hancock, Michael Gove, Grant Shapps, Ed Davey, Louise Haigh and Ben Wallace are among thousands of generous Brits who plan to sign up.
Downing Street said Boris Johnson is not expected to take in a Ukrainian refugee into No10 due to "unique circumstances", of the site being high-security and it also being an office.
Asked whether he will be taking part in the scheme, Mr Cleverly said: "I have genuinely considered this. I've discussed this with my wife.
"I don't know whether our personal circumstances will allow us to do this right at the moment. As you know, Nick, my wife, she's going through medical treatment at the moment, but it's absolutely something that I'm considering."
It comes after the government faced fury over the slow start to the separate visa scheme for Ukrainians with family in the UK to come here for three years.
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Yesterday Cabinet minister Michael Gove said the other scheme being run by his colleague, Home Secretary Priti Patel, had 4,000 visas granted - out of more than 2million who have fled the war.
Under the new scheme, refugees will crucially not need family already living in the UK.
Refugees who get a visa in the new scheme will be able to live, work and claim benefits in the UK for three years under a sponsorship visa - up from 12 months under a previous vow.
Sponsors will be required to "undergo necessary vetting checks", and the £350 payment will not affect benefit entitlements or council tax status, it was announced.
Sponsors in the UK can be of any nationality with any immigration status, as long as they have at least six months leave to remain within the UK.
Mr Gove said: "Ukrainians arriving in the United Kingdom will also have access to the full range of public services, doctors, schools, and full local authority support."
Mr Gove also said "we are doing everything we can" to facilitate Scotland and Wales acting as "super sponsors".
