The government will ask the British public to open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion amid intense criticism of its response to the refugee crisis.

       Levelling up secretary, Michael Gove, will set out on Monday details of the new “sponsored” humanitarian route to allow Ukrainians without family links to the UK to come to the country.

       The scheme was announced last week by Priti Patel, the home secretary, but details have been unclear amid reports of “different views” between Whitehall departments.

       According to the Daily Telegraph, a hotline and webpage will be made available where individuals, charities, businesses and community groups will be able to offer rooms to those escaping the conflict.

       It was added those offering housing would have to agree to take the refugees for a minimum period – potentially six months – and demonstrate that they meet appropriate standards.

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       Boris Johnson told Sky News: “On Monday, you’ll get from the levelling up secretary, you’ll get the programme that will allow people to come in, so (if) people want to welcome (refugees) into their own homes, they can do so.”

       According to Western officials, the number of people fleeing the Russian invasion – already around 2.5 million – could reach 4 million within days as the Kremlin continues to wage war.

       A government spokesman said the details of the scheme were being worked on “at pace”, adding: “The routes we have put in place follow extensive engagement with Ukrainian partners.”

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       “This is a rapidly moving and complex picture and as the situation develops we will continue to keep our support under constant review.”

       Speaking about the sponsorship scheme on Sky News, the technology minister Chris Philp added: “We’re going to be making announcements in the very near future about a scheme for UK local authorities, and indeed UK families, to welcome Ukrainian refugees, we’ve announced that principle and the details of how that scheme works will be laid out in the very near future.”

       The move comes after Ms Patel was urged to do more to make it easier for those coming to the UK through the existing family route and yesterday announced that from Tuesday people will be able to apply online for a visa and will no longer have to go to a processing centre to give their biometrics.

       It followed criticism that the UK’s response has been painfully slow in the face of the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War with around 2.2 million having fled the country.

       However the British Red Cross said the quickest way of fixing the problem would be to remove the requirement for a visa, while the Refugee Council said Ms Patel’s announcement “does not go anywhere near far enough”.

       This map shows the extent of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

       (Press Association Images)

       Meanwhile, after the government announced it was sanctioning seven more Russians linked to Vladimir Putin’s regime including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the UK and other allies need to keep up the pressure with further measures – including a freeze on all Russian banking assets.

       “We must double down and ramp up the global pressure on Putin. We must go further on sanctions to keep tightening the vice,” she said in a speech in Washington.

       “We want a situation where they can’t access their funds, they can’t clear their payments, their trade can’t flow, their ships can’t dock and their planes can’t land.”

       The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015.

       Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.