Hitchin Nub News interviewed Hitchin MP Bim Afolami during an event he hosted for Ukraine refugees this week.

Our town's Parliamentarian hosted a drop-in session for guests from Ukraine who have settled in Hitchin since the Russian invasion of their country that you can read about here

See Hitchin Nub News for our moving Up Close Q&A interview feature with a brave lady from Ukraine called Alina Kurylova who has settled in Hitchin while the war in her homeland rages. 

Mr Afolami has agreed to an in-depth interview with Hitchin Nub News on a wide range of issues both local and nation that will take place later this summer. 

In the meantime read on for our exclusive interview with the Hitchin MP on the subject of Ukraine as well as his take on the Conservative Party under current leader Boris Johnson. 

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Hitchin MP Bim Afolami spoke exclusively to Nub News at a drop-in event for Ukraine refugees. CREDIT: GREGORY OWAIN

HITCHIN NUB NEWS: Bim, thank you for your time. We know you're busy, so let's crack on. Firstly talk us through this event that you're hosting…

Bim Afolami: Thank you. My office and in particular Louise Judd who has really done the legwork on arranging this event. We've been dealing with so many different Ukrainian individuals, families and particularly their sponsors in Hitchin and surrounding areas – helping them with individual issues such as housing, or benefits, or trying to get access to jobs. And I thought what we'd do is try and get everyone together – with all of these different organisations – and have one event. The benefit would be that people would see each other and get to know each other – seeing that Hitchin is here to help them. There are so many people I've bene able to meet – Hitchin residents and Hitchin families - that have been doing such good work and doing so much to help people from thousands of miles away and bringing them into their homes. 

I've tried to thank as many of them as I can to say 'well done' – not just for taking on a big responsibility but also coming to an event like this and helping them out with employment and helping them to restablish their lives. 

HITCHIN NUB NEWS: What sort of feedback have you have from Ukraine refugees so far?  

Bim Afolami MP: Well, that's why you're here, to speak to people from Ukraine yourself. I hope they will say Hitchin has been very welcoming. [Ed's note: We certainly did – see Hitchin Nub News for our moving and heartfelt interview with brave Ukraine refugee Alina Kurylova who has been hosted by a Hitchin home recently - read the story here ]. We've helped, my office has helped – but we can't do everything, so we thought 'let us bring everyone together who can help them' for this event. We've got a great charity here that I'm involved with called the Refugee Employment Network who have top firms attached to them such as Ernst & Young and other top consulting and advisory practices who have been working with the charity. Just because someone has come from Ukraine as a refugee does not mean they don't have amazing skills – I want to make sure they get access to those sorts of jobs. They've got a lot to offer – and to offer the local community. We also have local councils, the church is here as well, pastoral care, language translation services. They're all here to make sure Ukraine refugees' qualifications are recognised for example. 

HITCHIN NUB NEWS: What would you say to people who say the Tory government simply hasn't done enough to help Ukraine refugees from February 24 onwards?

Bim Afolami MP: I would say that at the beginning we were slow. It has improved a lot. I'd say that has a lot to do with Richard Harrington now Baron Harrington, who is the MP for Watford. He's now the Minister for Refugees. In fact he was planning to be at this event but he had to answer a question in the House of Lords today. But he sent a letter to say how much he supported the event here and how he wanted to see this sort of event replicated up and down the country. 

 This event is happening uniquely. It hasn't been happening anywhere else at the moment. He has done a huge amount to improve the system. Without saying it's perfect, Phase One is getting people here. Now Phase Two is making sure people are properly integrated – how do we make sure they feel comfortable? How do we make sure - if they don't feel their language skills are the best - how do we make sure we help them, so that they're not left out. 

You're here Layth, you can see lots of families and children – one question is how do we make sure they get into local schools? How do we make them feel included? How do we make sure they feel their language skills are improving? How do we make sure they are fully part of the Hitchin community? Because that's what people in Hitchin are like. It's simply my job to enable the people of Hitchin to do what they do best – which is make them feel welcome. 

Hitchin MP Bim Afolami spoke exclusively to Nub News at a drop-in event for Ukraine refugees. CREDIT: GREGORY OWAIN

HITCHIN NUB NEWS: You're right it's not a perfect system. There are many problems. What would you say to reports around the country of young Ukrainian women being housed with predatory older males for example? 

Bim Afolami MP: I think, frankly, it's a very difficult problem. What we have tried to do is to screen the families and individuals that are taking on refugees from Ukraine. Because we have a surplus. We have way too many people who want to take Ukrainian refugees on – but look, I'll be very, very honest, if someone has not committed an offence before, then it's very difficult to say they will commit an offence in the future. All I would say is that if anyone does have any problems or issues then please, please do get in touch with me – or other agencies to try and iron these things out. It is very sad if that is the case. It's very, very hard to fully eradicate these things – but we are trying. 

HITCHIN NUB NEWS: On that point, the red tape in people wanting to take on refugees has been unduly excessive – with reports of people being told to drain their ponds if they want to take on a young Ukrainian family for example – why don't you simplify the process?

Bim Afolami MP: Your question illustrates the problem. Your previous question was saying 'how can we prevent inappropriate people doing inappropriate things with Ukrainian women – and then your next question is 'It's ridiculous rules - why do we have to drain ponds to accommodate Ukrainian families with young children.' The point I'm making is that the dividing line between ridiculous, over-bureaucratic rules – and as a Conservative I'm always against such things – and something that keeps people safe is sometimes a bit hard. At times like this, what we've got to do is focus on getting people into a safe home and worry about more of the bureaucratic stuff later. 

I don't object if some people disagree and say 'Bim, you've got to screen everyone – and it's better to wait a couple of weeks and screen everybody'.

I understand that, however the reality is that people are fleeing a very, very difficult situation – which I'm sorry to say might last years. Originally, I only thought this was going to last a few months, but now, I think this situation could last for years. And therefore managing it over the coming months is going to be very difficult. Because in many respects the system to manage people in such circumstances was built to last for a few months – not years.

If it's a multi-year conflict are we going to ask families to sponsor people for years? Are we going to swap people after a few months? It's a very difficult situation.  

HITCHIN NUB NEWS: It's great to see so many people from Ukraine that are being helped at this event – but in terms of refugees from other conflicts around the world, what's being done to help Syrian refugees, Iraqi refugees for example? 

Bim Afolami MP: You put me on the spot a little bit. It's very difficult. We're a very generous country but we can't fix all the world's problems. We can't manage all the world's refugees. We are an island. One of the world's most densely populated islands in the western world. However, what we should do is be open and generous as much as possible. My family is Nigerian British and I know that it can be very difficult when people come from another country. And I think that we should show that generosity as much as we can. 

Nub News regional editor Layth Yousif interviewing Bim Afolami MP at the drop-in event for Ukraine refugees. CREDIT: GREGORY OWAIN

HITCHIN NUB NEWS: One last question Bim, I've got to ask, your view on Boris Johnson…

Bim Afolami: This sounds ominous. You want to tell me and your readers just how much you love him…is that it?

HITCHIN NUB NEWS: It's not about me Bim, I have to ask, you came out very late in the day in support of the PM on the day of the leadership vote – on the back of a tweet from Oliver Dowden, who has since resigned...

Bim Afolami: Yes he has…if only I'd known…

HITCHIN NUB NEWS: What would you say to your constituents about that…

Bim Afolami: Look, Oliver is one of my closest friends in politics. I wouldn't have been selected, I wouldn't have been an MP without Oliver. He lives locally and I've got huge respect for him and I'm very sorry that he's gone. I'm a vice chair of the party under him before he resigned. I'm very sad that he's gone. I think everyone has to consider that very, very carefully, as I have been doing. But ultimately, we are facing a lot of challenges now as a country.

Once we get past the summer months we will be facing huge challenges relating to cost of living difficulties and for everybody who says: 'We've got to change leader…' I say to them: 'Ok, we can do that,' but what would you be saying to me Layth in November with me talking to Conservative voters across the country – and you'd be saying to me: 'Bim, you're off playing politics when people in Hitchin are struggling,' and I wouldn't blame you for that.

I'm just making the point that if the party decides to go into all this then that has a consequence in terms of our ability to govern. So we have to think very carefully about this at this time. 

HITCHIN NUB NEWS: One last question Bim, I appreciate your time and I know you're busy, but one last question: You campaigned down in another Nub News town, Honiton, for the Conservative candidate at the recent by-election - yet there was a 29.9 per cent swing from the Tories to the Lib Dems. Hitchin only needs a six per cent swing from away from blue to orange for you to lose your seat – what's your take on that…?

Bim Afolami: Well, look, you get by-elections and they're usually not great for governments and this was a particularly bad result. It's one of the things that the parliamentary party are looking at among others – but you know, it's mid-term and I'm old enough to recall when the Conservative Party got around 10 per cent in the European elections in 2019 – and later on that year we went on to win a General Election.

I'm not saying that we should be down at 10 per cent – I think that would be bad, but it's important that people take a longer term view of things. The important thing as an MP is: 'What are you doing for people in your area?' and 'What are you doing for people across the country?' – and whether you can communicate those things.

And if we do those things right: We will win. And if we don't: We will lose. So, we will try and make sure we do them right. 

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