Labour to house asylum seekers in new-build homes blasted as disgrace | Politics | News
Labor’s plans to house illegal immigrants in newly built social housing have been slammed as disgraceful, with critics claiming it puts immigrants ahead of veterans and the homeless. £100 million pilot programme. The project, which allows councils to build new properties solely for asylum seekers, has received nearly 200 expressions of interest from local authorities. Councils will be able to use the funding to build new properties or renovate existing ones.
However, the move was criticized by critics who claimed the Government was “prioritising illegal immigrants over the British public”. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said there were “more than 1.3 million people on the waiting list for social housing, but thanks to Labor people coming to this country illegally will be moved to the front of the queue.”
Mr Philp told the Express, describing the proposal as a “disgrace”: “Labour has no idea how to get the immigration crisis under control and is instead splashing more and more taxpayers’ money on housing asylum seekers. Only the Conservatives have a BORDER plan to solve the problem by leaving the ECHR and deporting all illegal immigrants.”
The government’s broader approach to the use of social housing to house people born abroad has also drawn criticism. According to the 2021 Census, the estimated total number of social housing households in England headed by someone born outside the UK is around 790,000.
Critics slammed the figure, which included UK citizens, as “a social housing system that deprives British citizens, including veterans, disabled and pensioners, of suitable housing while rewarding newcomers who fail to pay into the system”.
Reform MP Lee Anderson said the Reform Government “will end foreign nationals’ entitlement to benefits and we will end Universal Credit payments”. He also added that they will end housing aid for all foreign nationals after a three-month grace period.
“Once this grace period ends, they will be expected to pay their own rent or vacate social housing, except in cases of the most severe hardship,” he added. “When it comes to social housing, it is right that priority is given to those who have lived, worked hard and paid taxes in this country all their lives.”
The Department for Communities did not provide data on the number of illegal immigrants currently housed in social housing across England.
It is reported that around 1.33 million households across the country are on social housing waiting lists and the Home Office is currently responsible for providing accommodation for around 100,000 refugees.
The government’s pilot scheme is designed to enable local authorities to purchase additional properties, including those in new developments where sales have not yet been completed, allowing councils to increase their social housing stock.
This follows widespread anti-immigration protests across the country, including outside hotels now used to house immigrants. The government has promised to complete the use of such hotels by 2029, which means that hotel residents will have to be rehoused.
The Home Office has repeatedly stressed that it will “close all asylum hotels” and is working with local councils and authorities to provide more suitable accommodation.
