MP, Labour’s Shadow Home
Secretary, commenting on the National Audit Office’s
report on asylum accommodation, said:
“This report is staggering. The British taxpayer is already
paying out eye watering sums on asylum hotels and now it turns
out the sites they promised would save money are costing the
taxpayer even more. has taken the Tories chaos and
failure in the asylum system to a new level.
“On top of the £8 million a day on hotel rooms, the government is
now paying tens of millions of pounds in set up costs for new
sites in Wethersfield and Scampton, which are still not in use,
and millions more for sites that will never be used.
“The Prime Minister claimed that 10,000 people would be housed in
these major sites to save money on costly hotels. That plan has
failed on every level with only a fraction of that number on
those sites and the costs going through the roof.
“Labour will clear the backlog, end asylum hotel use and set up a
new returns and enforcement unit so those with no right to be in
the UK are swiftly returned. And instead of the £500 million
Rwanda scheme which will only cover one per cent of asylum
seekers, we will strengthen our border security and go after the
criminal gangs.”
Ends
Notes:
Labour’s five-point plan to reform the asylum system:
1. Crackdown on criminal smuggler gangs, through new
Cross-Border Police Unit and deeper security cooperation with
Europe
A Labour Government would crackdown on criminal smuggler gangs by
introducing stronger powers for the UK’s National Crime Agency to
restrict the movement of those suspected of being involved in
people smuggling and setting up a new cross-border police unit
with officers based in the UK and across Europe to tackle gangs
upstream.
That would include officers being posted directly to Europol to
collaborate on joint investigations and to identify and seize
boats upstream. Labour will also seek to negotiate a new security
agreement with Europe, including a replacement to SIS-II, to
allow for the real-time sharing of intelligence on people
smuggling suspects. To fund this, Labour would redirect spending
from the unworkable Rwanda scheme, which the government has
admitted is subject to a very high risk of fraud.
2. End hotel use, clear the Tory asylum backlog, and
speed up returns to safe countries
Labour will save the taxpayer billions by ending the use of
hotels for asylum seekers within 12 months and setting up a new
returns unit for safe countries. Labour will recruit over 1,000
Home Office caseworkers to clear the record Tory asylum backlog,
and a further 1,000 staff for a new returns unit so that those
who do not have a right to stay here can be quickly removed, and
we end the use of costly hotels at the taxpayers’ expense. Labour
will fast track decisions on applications from safe countries,
like India and Albania, which are unlikely to be granted; and
establish a new returns unit to reverse the 44% collapse in
asylum removals that the Tory Government has overseen since 2010.
3. Reform resettlement routes to stop people being
exploited by gangs
Labour would redesign the existing resettlement schemes which are
not currently working properly so that they include a clearer
process for refugees with family connections in the UK to be
considered for resettlement, preventing them being exploited by
criminal gangs or making dangerous journeys.
4. New agreement with France and other countries on
returns and family reunion
Labour would negotiate a new agreement which includes safe
returns and safe family reunions for child refugees.
5. Tackle humanitarian crises at source helping refugees
in their region
Labour would work in partnership internationally to address some
of the humanitarian crises that are leading people to flee their
homes including restoring the 0.7% aid commitment when the fiscal
situation allows and strengthening support for the people of
Afghanistan, currently the largest group trying to cross the
Channel.
