Mr Jenrick insisted he had not pulled any strings to speed the process up, saying it was right that British families had to match their own families in Ukraine as “there are limits to the role of the state, and as a country we have so much to offer when individuals and civil society come together”.

But he added: “I do think the process has been overly bureaucratic and I think the Home Office often falls into this trap.

“There were simple things that we could and should have done from the outset, like having the form in Ukrainian, for example. And I’m not sure whether you need to be doing checks on minors who are extremely unlikely to be a threat to this country.”

He said he found it “emotional” when he finally met the family this week, adding: “They are children of not dissimilar ages to ours, and a mother who’s left her husband back home and made this extraordinary decision… to leave home and come to another country in order to protect her children.

“It was quite emotional. I have to say they’ve been absolutely lovely to us, and we’ve enjoyed it so far. It’s been very rewarding to see them feeling safe at last after a very traumatic experience and beginning to stabilise them and rebuild their lives.”

Listen to Christopher Hope’s interview with Robert Jenrick on Chopper’s Politics podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also at www.playpodca.st/Chopper.