Richard Harrington informs the Prime Minister and the Conservative Party on decision to quit as Minister for refugee programme
Richard Harrington was Minister of State (Minister for Refugees) jointly in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Home Office from 8 March 2022 to 4 September 2022.
Speaking to Times Radio on Sunday, Lord Harrington said “my job of setting up the schemes was now complete and Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak could use the “machinery” how they wished.”
Now with his facebook page and website closed, just leaving twitter to annouce to the public this statement below.
He said “It was a huge privilege to be asked to lead the work to help Ukrainian people reach safety in the UK. Thank you to everyone who has been part of the refugee programme effort, especially our UK host families.”
“Never again will we have people arrive in the UK and go into hotels without a plan, as happened with those coming from Afghanistan and from the Ukraine, where at the beginning we didn’t have any idea where to put them all,” he said.
“I was brought in to do a very specific job, which was to set up working machinery across Government to deal with helping the Ukrainians in need,” Lord Harrington said.
“I believe we now have a process and procedure in place that means there won’t necessarily be the need for a minister like myself.
“I’m not walking out on the role or either candidate and will continue to support where helpful. But what I was specifically asked to do is essentially complete so it seems right that I make clear to both leadership contenders that they may be able to save on a ministerial post when they take over.
“Or at least have the option to shape the role for the next phase with a new person now I’ve established a successful system.”
Harrington had previously resigned as Government Minister when after a no deal Brexit when Theresa May called for an Election for June 2019.
He told the Sunday Times that it would be a “priority” to extend an invitation to the next prime minister, while he also admitted he was “concerned” when he heard Mr Johnson was resigning.
“When we learned that there would be a change of government, all of us were concerned,” he told the paper.
“Johnson was supporting us and a lot depends on the leader. The leader is the one who communicates. The leader is the one that mediates between a country and its people, and a leader has an impact upon society.”
Speaking about Johnson’s successor, he said of that relationship: “I can only pray that it will be at the same level as I had with Prime Minister Johnson.”
