The Government must end use of migrant hotels but reviving Linton-on-Ouse plans would be embarrassing
The Government finds itself in an invidious position when it comes to the housing of asylum seekers. On the one hand, Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour has been right to focus on getting migrants out of hotels. On the other hand, it has not been able to come up with a workable solution in place of it.
Putting illegal arrivals into hotels only further fans the flames of division. Especially those in left behind communities view migrant hotels as inherently unfair.
Taxpayer money, their money, is being used to put people up in accommodation that they would seldom have access to.
That is why the Government’s pledge to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is to be welcomed. Pushing migrants en masse onto communities ill-equipped to deal with such an influx is not.
The Linton-on-Ouse plan was a lame duck under the Tories. It is a lame duck under Labour. Frankly, it is embarrassing that Labour is even trying to revive the proposal, after opposing it back in 2022.
The people of Linton-on-Ouse have made it clear that their village would simply not be able to cope with an influx of asylum seekers. This has not changed in the four years since they first opposed the plans.
Shifting migrants from one place to another is not going to deal with the actual problem. It is unsustainable for Britain to continue to shoulder the burden of housing asylum seekers.
Only a Europe-wide approach can deal with the migrant crisis. The whole continent needs to take responsibility and respond accordingly to the crisis.
This is not an issue that can be resolved by burdening communities such as those in Linton-on-Ouse.
The general public wants to see immigration reduced, not shifted from one place to another.