During Business Questions earlier today, Andrew Rosindell MP raised alarm over the growing public outrage surrounding illegal immigration, the use of asylum hotels, and the rapid increase in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) across Romford.
He called on the Leader of the House to allow a full debate on the urgent need for a national strategy to end the use of hotels and HMOs for housing asylum seekers. Transferring the issue from hotels to residential streets is putting families and children at risk.
The Leader of the House will be aware of the outrage across the country regarding illegal immigration, asylum hotels and now the huge increase in the number of houses in multiple occupation. This is happening on a large scale in Romford, with a massive boom in HMOs. My constituents want to see an end to illegal immigration and the housing of asylum seekers in local hotels. However, transferring the problem to roads and neighbourhoods, and putting families and children at risk in residential streets, is not acceptable. Will the Leader of the House allow for a debate on the Floor of the House on the need to adopt an urgent strategy to end the use of hotels and HMOs for this purpose?
Andrew Rosindell M.P., Member of Parliament for Romford
I share the frustration, concern and indeed anger in many parts about the huge use of asylum hotels, and now HMOs, in dealing with the asylum backlog, which was left by the hon. Gentleman’s party after it was in power. Indeed, I remember the shadow Home Secretary and the shadow Justice Secretary going round the country opening these hotels and allowing this to happen. They left us with a huge backlog. We need to take all necessary steps to bring down illegal migration, deal with these issues and close the hotels. That is what we want to do, but as the hon. Gentleman says, we cannot just make the problem dissipate into other parts of the community. That is why we are working to tackle it.
The Rt Hon. Lucy Powell M.P., Leader of the House of Commons
