Llanelli councillor clashes with Reform and Conservative figures over Nation of Sanctuary policy
Labour councillor Shaun Greaney said comments made by Reform’s Carmarthenshire chair Gareth Beer and former Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies calling for the policy to be scrapped were “morally indefensible”.
The Welsh Government’s Nation of Sanctuary programme was launched to support people seeking refuge, including those displaced by the war in Ukraine. Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt told the Senedd in January 2024 that more than 7,000 Ukrainians had found sanctuary in Wales, with funding used to help them move into longer‑term accommodation and integrate into communities.
At the time, Ms Hutt’s statement was welcomed across the chamber, with Conservative MS Darren Millar posting on X that his party stood “full square behind Ukraine”.
However, earlier this month Mr Davies said the £55 million scheme should be scrapped, while Mr Beer also called for its end during a BBC Wales interview.
“Hypocrisy” claim
Cllr Greaney said:
“The official record shows there was no criticism of the policy from Mr Davies or any other members of the Conservative group at the Senedd when Ms Hutt welcomed the Ukrainians and outlined the measures helping them settle here. It is hypocritical of them now to turn around and take the appalling view they have.”
He added that more than £45 million of the scheme’s cost had gone directly to supporting Ukrainian refugees, and accused opponents of “stirring things up” for political gain.
“What would they and Reform do? Turn away Ukrainians fleeing the horrors of the war inflicted upon them by Putin? Because ending the Nation of Sanctuary policy would mean just that,” he said.
Reform’s position
Reform’s Carmarthenshire chair Gareth Beer, who stood in Llanelli at the 2024 General Election, said the policy was unsustainable and unfair to local people struggling with housing and healthcare.
In a recent interview, he argued:
“If we advertise the fact that people will get free housing, free healthcare and all the rest of it, we’re basically putting up a flag to say come here when our own people can’t get housing, can’t get healthcare, and everything is at the bottom of the league tables.”
Mr Beer said Reform supported helping “genuine asylum seekers” but opposed what he described as “open‑door policies” that acted as a “pull factor” for migration.
Reform UK nationally has pledged to pursue “net zero immigration” and has made scrapping the Nation of Sanctuary one of its key policies in Wales.
Wider debate on refugees
The row comes as a new poll revealed that almost two‑thirds of people in Wales oppose plans to strip Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) from migrants already living here.
The survey found strong resistance to removing ILR from those who hold it, with campaigners pointing to Wales’ reliance on international workers in the NHS, care homes and universities. In Swansea Bay alone, more than 560 internationally educated nurses have been recruited in recent years to fill long‑standing vacancies.
Critics of Reform’s immigration stance say the findings show most people in Wales do not want to see families uprooted or vital staff driven away.
Welsh Government position
First Minister Eluned Morgan has defended the Nation of Sanctuary policy, saying she is “proud” Wales has “given full support to Ukraine, from the moment Ukraine was illegally and brutally invaded by Vladimir Putin”.
She said Wales had offered the “hand of friendship” to those who had lost their homes as a result of Russian aggression.
Conservative response
While Conservatives initially welcomed the policy, some members have since questioned its cost. Last week Mr Millar asked the First Minister to “scrap the wasteful policy and put the people of Wales first”.
The Welsh Conservatives and Reform UK have both argued that the money could be better spent on domestic priorities, though they continue to express support for Ukraine in principle.
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