After the Home Office sought “four per room,” a Pimlico hotel denied asylum seekers entrance.
Suella Braverman must “urgently clarify” why hundreds of asylum seekers spent two nights on Westminster streets.
In a letter to the home secretary, the leader of Westminster City Council conveyed his concern over the placement of approximately 40 refugees in the borough on Wednesday night “without adequate housing or support.”
The gang was denied admittance to a Pimlico hotel after the Home Office wanted “four per room.”
The council reported that approximately 20 people remained outside the Comfort Inn on Friday morning in protest of the confined conditions inside, with photographs showing suitcases and blankets strewn across the sidewalk.
Council head Adam Hug said forcing traumatised people to share a room with strangers defies common sense and decency.
He further stated that the government’s demand posed “safety and health risks” and that “leaving them on the street for multiple nights is not an option.”
Thursday, he wrote in a letter to Ms. Braverman, “Neither the Home Office nor the hotel responded to this incident. Leaving council officers to manage and support this large group overnight.”
“I would like you to clarify immediately how this was permitted to occur, why it was acceptable. And why there was no communication with the local authority to alert us.
“As of Thursday evening, the issue is still unresolved, and all forty asylum seekers are still on the street. This is inadmissible.
“It is neither right nor in the best interests of these individuals – or of our residents – for them to be forced to spend the night on the streets because their transition into new housing has not been properly managed.”
The council said uncomfortable sleeping teams were helping refugees and that the Home Office had not offered a solution.
For £6 million each day, we house poor asylum seekers to fulfil our legal commitment. Despite the record number of persons arriving in the United Kingdom.
“The accommodation offered to asylum seekers on a no-choice basis meets all legal and contractual requirements and is of a decent standard.”
The incident occurred after the UN’s refugee agency highlighted significant shortcomings in the UK’s asylum system. Including the detention of torture victims and noncompliance with laws.
After researching 2021 and 2022, the UNHCR found “numerous risks to the welfare of asylum-seekers” in a damning assessment.
However, the Home Office reported “significant improvements” since the audit was conducted.
