Andy Burnham has bombshell plan for ‘unfair’ asylum hotels if he becomes PM | Politics | News
Andy Burnham will reportedly trigger termination clauses in three asylum hotel contracts (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham will end the multi-billion pound use of private companies to provide accommodation for asylum seekers, according to reports. Allies of the Greater Manchester Mayor, who is the Labor candidate in the Makerfield by-election, reportedly say he is “very committed” to the move.
Mr BurnhamIt is widely expected to launch a leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer If elected, he will give local officials responsibility for fundraising immigrant Accommodation according to The Times. Instead, people will move to cheaper accommodation, including sleepers and multi-occupancy homes.
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The same publication reports that Mr Burnham’s stance on continuing Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood’s policy of using larger sites such as military barracks and a former army training facility is less clear.
Mr Burnham has been approached for comment. To express.
Since March, the Government has managed to invoke an interim clause in ten-year contracts signed with three private companies tasked with providing accommodation for refugees.
Ms Mahmood is reportedly unwilling to enforce interim provisions and believes the use of the hotel could be terminated under existing agreements.
In April the Government said 11 asylum hotels, including Holiday Inn Heathrow, Crewe Arms Hotel and Britannia Hotel, Wolverhampton, were closed and returned to communities.
Immigrant hotels witness anti-immigrant protests and counter-protests (Image: Getty)
Almost 60,000 immigrants and foreign criminals have been removed since Labor came to power in July 2024, according to the government.
The University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory estimates that the average daily cost of housing an asylum seeker in 2024-25 is around £170 per person, compared to £27 for other types of accommodation.
Times It said the estimated cost of 10-year contracts had tripled from £4.5bn to £15.3bn.
While Mr Burnham’s allies suggested he would trigger interim clauses, Home Office officials are said to believe councils cannot afford the 100,000 beds needed.
A spokesman for Mr Burnham said the Labor by-election candidate stood by his view that the dispersal of asylum seekers in the UK was putting “tough pressure” on local communities.
They said the north-west of England had been hit “hard” and had to pick up the pieces as outsourcing companies’ profits were “soaring”.
The spokesman added: “He made it clear that this was not fair to the communities here and needed to change.”
