FOR all of our Prime Minister’s bluster condemning Russian military aggression against Ukraine and how his government stands with the people of that invaded country the reality, as always, is very different.

The hypocrisy of the Conservative Party on Russian Federation economic sanctions knows no shame.

It’s received almost £2 million in donations from benefactors linked to Russia since Johnson became PM in 2019.

Crony Britain has become one of the world’s largest money laundering machines for the questionable assets of Russian oligarchs and international criminal networks.

The Tories have been content to flog UK visas to the highest bidder.

In the last seven years, more than 200 “golden visas” – a fast-track system to settle in the UK – were granted to Russian millionaires.

The scheme was only scrapped earlier this month and has seen around 13,000 people from super rich elites jump the immigration queue if they invested millions in British companies.

No-one seemed particularly bothered about where the money came from. All of this shows a UK government that is morally bereft and devoid of one scintilla of decency, but it gets worse with Ukraine.

Last week the UK stopped accepting visa applications from Ukrainians within their own country meaning refugees have no safe route to seek asylum in the UK.

Ukrainian family members of British citizens can now only apply for a visa in a temporary consulate in Lviv in western Ukraine and reports are abound that it’s exceptionally difficult – if not impossible – for family members to apply for UK visas.

The US estimates up to five million people could be displaced due to the Russian Federation’s military assault on Ukraine.

Poland is reported to be gearing up to receive one million refugees and other countries including Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova are preparing to accept large numbers of refugees. Ireland is waving any requirements for visas for Ukrainians.

Let’s remember these are women, children, the frail and elderly as men aged 18 to 60 cannot leave Ukraine as they’re required to take up arms to defend their country.

READ MORE: City Chambers flies national flag of Ukraine in act of solidarity

While our Prime Minister talks about providing support to prevent a humanitarian crisis for those fleeing Ukraine the reality, as always with Mr Johnson, is the opposite.

This crisis exposes the fallacy and perniciousness of the UK Government’s Nationality and Borders Bill.

This proposed legislation is currently making its way through Parliament and would change immigration law so that asylum applications from those who had temporarily resided in safe third countries could be declared “inadmissible”.

If passed, a Ukrainian travelling from Poland or Hungary to seek asylum in the UK could simply be refused asylum.

The bill would make it a criminal offence to arrive in the UK “without valid entry clearance”. The maximum sentence for this proposed offence is four years’ imprisonment.

Anyone helping asylum seekers into the UK would also be breaking the law and could be prosecuted, whereas existing law provides this is only prohibited if done “for gain”.

The bill is at its report stage today in the House of Lords, where there will be votes on numerous amendments.

The Scottish Government opposes the bill.

Shona Robison, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, said: “The Nationality and Borders Bill takes an approach which does not align with Scotland’s values or needs.

"The UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) have been clear that the Nationality and Borders Bill’s plans would violate the 1951 Refugee Convention and that they will ‘damage lives, be hard to implement and undermine international co-operation on refugee issues’.”

Last week the Refugee Council and 50 UK charities published an open letter expressing their concern that the bill was ill-advised and ill-timed: “The bill undermines our obligation to give all who seek asylum a fair hearing on our soil.

"Those who take dangerous journeys over land to the UK will be treated as criminals.”

Charities believe that Ukraine’s dire plight requires a broad cross-party and public consensus on the need for Britain to play its part in an international relief effort.

They argue for a proper resettlement programme for Ukrainian refugees: “A generation ago, the UK saved the lives of thousands of families from the Balkans through an evacuation and resettlement programme which enabled them to rebuild their lives in our country.

“The UK Government should again play a leading role in international efforts, including through a significant, well-resourced UK programme, working with councils across the country, to welcome Ukrainians who need sanctuary.”

The prospect of the PM scrapping the worst aspects of his Nationality and Borders Bill seems unlikely; doing anything of substance to welcome Ukrainian refugees seems equally unlikely. Platitudes are meaningless when you pull up the drawbridge to those in need.