Suella Braverman has been asked to “urgently clarify” why dozens of asylum seekers have been sleeping on the streets of Westminster for two nights running.
The leader of Westminster City Council expressed his concern in a letter to the home secretary after around 40 refugees were placed in the borough on Wednesday night “without appropriate accommodation or support available”.
The group was apparently denied entry at a Pimlico hotel where the Home Office had asked them to sleep “four people per room”.
Around 20 people remained outside the Comfort Inn on Friday morning in protest at the cramped conditions inside, the council said, with pictures showing suitcases and blankets strewn across the pavement.
Council leader Adam Hug complained that asking people who are likely to have been through traumatic events to share “an inappropriately-sized room with multiple strangers defies common sense and basic decency”.
He added that the government’s demand created “safeguarding and health risks” and noted that “leaving them on the street for multiple nights is not an alternative”.
In his letter to Ms Braverman on Thursday, he wrote: “Neither the Home Office nor the hotel itself responded to this incident, ultimately leaving it to council officers to manage and support this large group overnight.
“I would ask that you urgently clarify how this was allowed to happen, why this was acceptable, and why no communication was made with the local authority to alert us.
“I note that the issue is still unresolved and, as of Thursday evening, all 40 asylum seekers remain on the street. This is not acceptable.
“It is not right, nor is it in the interest of these individuals – or our residents – to have them forced to endure a night on the streets because their transition into new accommodation has not been properly managed.”
The council said rough sleeping teams have been supporting the refugees, and claimed the Home Office had not put forward any resolution to the matter.
Read more:
Home Office launches ad campaign to put off illegal Albanian migrants
‘The slow and laborious aftermath of mass migrant rescue
A Home Office spokesman said: “Despite the number of people arriving in the UK reaching record levels, we continue to provide accommodation – at a cost of £6m a day – for asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute, to meet our legal obligation.
“The accommodation offered to asylum seekers by providers, on a no-choice basis, is of a decent standard and meets all legal and contractual requirements.”
The incident comes after the UN’s refugee agency highlighted significant failings in the UK’s asylum system, including torture victims being detained and laws not being “complied with”.
In a scathing report, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees noted “numerous risks to the welfare of asylum-seekers” after its investigation between 2021 and 2022.
However, the Home Office said “significant improvements” have been made since the audit took place.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
