Outraged MP confronts Starmer after migrant arrested near school | UK | News
Residents of a quiet Surrey village are at war with the Home Office after asylum seekers were moved into a £500,000 cottage just 200 meters from the local primary school – without any warning to locals or the council.
The placement in Laleham, Surrey, only came to light after an Afghan national in his early 20s was arrested at the property on suspicion of harassment after allegedly returning to school despite being told to stay away by police. It is understood he is now being held in a secure facility under the Mental Health Act.
Parents alleged that the suspect had been wandering near the school during drop-off and pick-up times for several days, yelling at women walking alone.
Why didn’t anyone know about the Surrey refugees?
The move is part of the Government’s drive to house migrants outside hotels. Developers do not need planning permission to convert a house into a multi-occupancy tiny house (or HMO); This means that hundreds or thousands of properties across the country can be altered without oversight.
According to The Sun, Spelthorne Borough Council told worried residents: “This appears to have happened without the normal risk assessment and communication from the Home Office with local agencies. The council has written directly to the Home Office demanding an explanation and assurances that this will not happen again.”
Local councilor Sinead Mooney reportedly said: “This has come out of the blue to elected members of the council. “We think this is a really inappropriate location and we have asked what mechanisms are in place for local councilors and MPs to be able to raise their concerns when a clearly inappropriate location is identified.
“This all comes down to parents asking questions about activities outside of school.”
One parent said: “This is mind-boggling. I don’t understand why you would put refugees in the middle of a small village with nothing to do and nowhere to go. The first duty of a government is to keep people safe, but we don’t think that’s a safe thing to do.”
What happened to Starmer at PMQs?
Local Spelthorne Conservative MP Lincoln Jopp confronted Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions, demanding: “Who was responsible for the risk assessment that got him there? Who messed it up and who can I hold responsible?”
Sir Keir said: “Obviously this is a live police investigation and I know the Asylum Secretary is monitoring this case very closely. Can I reassure him that all accommodation must comply with contractual standards and that the Home Office is working with the police to manage all sites safely? Local authorities are consulted before any accommodation is provided and any bids may be challenged.”
Despite this assurance, council sources insisted there was no record of any communication from the Government; This directly contradicts the Home Office’s denial of secrecy.
What does Mr. Jopp demand?
In a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Mr Jopp wrote: “As you can imagine, my constituents are understandably very concerned about the safety of their children and indeed their own safety. I would be grateful if you could investigate this urgently and also confirm that appropriate safeguarding checks are in place on all HMOs used by the Home Office in Spelthorne.”
“I would also like to add that such settlements should not be built near schools.”
