POLITICIAN Anna Firth met with Ukrainian refugees and the residents welcoming them into their homes as she called on society to “stand together” in the face of war.

The Southend West MP, who won the vacant seat in a by-election held after the murder of Sir David Amness, held a constituency surgery on Friday.

Throughout the morning Anna spoke with Ukrainians who have fled the European country following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of their homeland.

She also discussed ways in which the support can be provided to both them and their Southend sponsors who are looking after them.

One refugee, Nataliia, who has settled in Leigh-on-Sea, said: “I want to say thank you to Anna and her team and I am really pleased to be here.”

Anna, who has promised to make Southend safer, healthier and wealthier, said she was thrilled to be able to accommodate Ukrainian refugees.

She added: “We are so delighted to welcome Nataliia to Leigh-on-Sea - she has been wonderfully looked after by Lilian.

“She arrived last Sunday and we want to welcome her and we’re so happy that we managed to help her get here from Ukraine.

Echo:

“We will all stand together in the face of Putin’s aggression.”

During her constituency surgery Anna and her team also addressed other issues, including the absence of support for deaf children in the local area. 

She added: “This is the most important part of the job and call me biased, but we have the best community.

“We have so many individuals in our wonderful city who are fighting for the greater good.”