Labour given bombshell warning over migrant hotel and cash support | Politics | News

Ministers have been told Labour’s plan to remove foreign criminals and immigrants caught working illegally in asylum hotels does not go far enough. Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood will cancel European laws that provide automatic support for arrivals.

Starting in June, aid will become “conditional” and will only be given to “people who really need it and comply with the law.” Those working in Britain’s black economy will also be kicked out of taxpayer-funded hotels, houses, flats and bedrooms, along with foreign criminals and those who refuse to leave the UK voluntarily.

Authorities believe this could be a deterrent to people seeking asylum and working illegally in the UK.

But Shadow Home Secretary Katie Lam said: “Clearly, if people are coming to this country to seek asylum, they should at least be expected to comply with the rules governing that process.

“The changes the Government proposes today, without changes to the wider legal regime, will not change the incentives for people who come to this country illegally or under false pretenses to seek asylum.

“With regard to illegal work, the Committee noted that cases of illegal work accounted for only 0.3% (one in every 333) of asylum seekers receiving support.

“The number of asylum seekers working illegally is likely to be higher in reality and it is right that we deal with these cases, but these regulations alone will not provide a real deterrent to people planning to come here illegally to seek asylum.

“Government ministers say they are ‘developing a policy on this’, but every indication we have is that we can at best expect to see further tweaks at the edges of the system.

“What we need, and what the British people deserve, is a complete overhaul of how we think about asylum.”

Approximately 107,003 people are supported by taxpayers, including 30,657 people living in shelters.

But new figures from the Home Office have revealed more refugees are living in houses, flats and bedrooms across the country.

The number of people living in dispersal shelters, which was 66,232 three months ago, increased to 68,538.

Asylum minister Alex Norris defended Labour’s plans and insisted they were “essential”.

He told MPs: “These reforms are necessary to ensure that asylum support works effectively now and is resilient enough to meet future pressures.

“Meeting these strengthens public trust, maintains a system that is both compassionate and trustworthy, and encourages compliance with the rules.

“The government’s position is clear: fairness for those who need support, who follow the rules, but decisive action where the rules are not followed, and a clear duty on taxpayers to fund the system.”