The refugees will be provided with alternative housing and given a few months’ notice to leave the hotels.
Afghan refugees in the UK face the risk of homelessness as they will be relocated from hotels to alternative accommodation. The government is set to announce a new package to expedite the process of moving refugees to permanent homes. Veterans’ affairs minister Johnny Mercer has been tasked by the prime minister to present the new measures, and is expected to make the announcement in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
He expressed deep concerns about the plans, particularly the potential risk of leaving Afghans who escaped the Taliban homeless in the UK. He believes that refugees who were promised a warm welcome should not be subjected to such treatment. While hotels are unsuitable for refugee accommodation, the fact that thousands of Afghans have been staying there for months is due to the government’s mismanagement and failure to collaborate effectively with local councils and other agencies to find appropriate housing.
The Cabinet Office, responsible for Mercer’s position, declined to comment before his statement, and the Home Office, in charge of migration policy, is yet to provide a response. Currently, around 9,000 Afghans are residing in UK hotels after escaping the Taliban in August 2021.
Peymana Assad, a Labour councillor of Afghan heritage from Harrow in north-west London, has closely worked with Afghan refugees in hotels and holds the government accountable for their prolonged stay in hotels, not the refugees themselves.
Conservative MPs are pushing for the removal of more safeguards from the legislation, with ministers appearing ready to comply on Monday. The Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights warned that the proposals, even in their current form, could be inconsistent with international law.
MPs on the party’s right, including Bill Cash and Danny Kruger, have suggested a series of amendments that aim to decrease legal protections for asylum seekers and refugees who may face deportation to Rwanda and other countries. One amendment would prevent judges from granting injunctions to halt deportations, while others would aim to restrict the scope of relevant sections of the European Convention on Human Rights.
