Kent MP, Gordon Henderson, has said 'more could have been done quicker' with the government's efforts to bring fleeing Ukrainians to the UK.

However, the Sittingbourne and Sheppey Conservative, explained that the delays for checking people entering the country are to 'protect our own citizens'.

Speaking to KMTV, he said: "I think that more could have been done quicker, but I think that we are doing an awful lot.

"I listened to not only the president of Ukraine this week, but also the Ukrainian ambassador, who has said that the Ukrainian government doesn't really want its citizens to come too far away from their country.

"They would prefer them to be within Poland, Hungary and Moldova rather than come to the UK, because they want them to go back to the country as quickly as possible."

His statement comes as the government announced Britons offering homes to Ukrainian refugees will now receive a “thank you” payment of £350 per month,

He continued: "The Home Office is actually ensuring that people who have a passport are able to apply online, they can then come here automatically and the final stages will be done in this country.

"I think that's going to help and I'm pleased about that, but the other thing we really must remember is the government has been criticised a lot for the delays and the length of time it takes to check people.

"The reason we have to do it is because we are targeted by the Russians and when you bear in mind that a lot of Ukrainians speak Russian, it's very difficult to ensure that the people who come here are actually Ukrainian.

"I want to see it done as quickly as possible but we still have to maintain those checks to protect our own citizens."

When asked if he feared the visa scheme would lead to fleeing Ukrainians crossing the Channel in small boats, Henderson replied: "There is no reason why they should.

"If you've come from Ukraine, which you've got to remember, is a long way away from Calais, if you want to come to our country, go to the relevant embassy in the country you are, you can apply for your visa there.

"If you've got a passport, you can apply online, and then you can come straight here. So I think we have now put in place a mechanism to allow that to happen as of Monday.

"I think that it would be crass of people to criticise the government when we've done so much.

"We were the first to provide military aid to Ukraine, we've done an awful lot.

"Boris Johnson, in a poll undertaken in Ukraine, is second only to their own president in popularity, because they recognise what this country's done for them."