Two Ukrainian refugees are planning to drive their car more than 2,000 miles from the UK to Dnipro and leave it in a "warzone" because of costly registration fees, ministers have heard.
Labour MP Jeff Smith told the Commons the refugees who had come to live in his Manchester Withington constituency faced the situation because of the high fees and bureaucracy around permanently registering their car in the UK. Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said the decision they faced once their temporary registration expired was "crackers".
Mr Smith told MPs: "My constituents Matt and Liz are hosting two refugees who fled Ukraine and came to the UK in their car. They have only been able to get a maximum of 12 months temporary car registration, so in order to avoid some very high and complicated UK and Ukraine registration charges and import taxes, they are planning to drive back to Dnipro next month to leave their car in the warzone.
"It is a ridiculous situation. What it needs is something that allows a temporary extension for car registration for Ukrainian refugees, perhaps to the length of their visa. I have written to a minister, but could we have a statement from the Government on how we can make this happen quickly, or could she perhaps get me a swift response and resolution to the problem?"
Ms Mordaunt replied: "The situation he describes is crackers. I thank him for raising it. I know that the Department for Levelling Up, which is leading and co-ordinating the support for Ukrainian refugees across Government, is looking at precisely these sorts of issues that are coming up now nearly a year on from when those refugees first arrived here. They should not have to go back into a warzone to deposit their vehicle, and from memory I think this is one of those issues which is being looked at, so I will write to DLUHC and also the Department for Transport."
According to Google Maps, the journey from Manchester to Dnipro would take 38 hours, and cover more than 2,000 miles through six countries. The city sits on the Dnieper River in central Ukraine, with active combat taking place more than a hundred miles away to the south and the south east.
