Reform UK has pledged to prosecute the chief executives of companies that house migrants, should those migrants end up committing crimes against women and girls.
Nigel Farage’s party has confirmed it will set up a police taskforce to scrutinise private-sector contractors that provide accommodation to asylum seekers.
The taskforce will assess whether private companies can be held criminally liable if migrants harm the local community.
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, announced the plan during a visit to Piddington, where Labour plans to house 1,250 asylum seekers.
He said: “Labour is dumping 1,250 illegal migrant men from countries like Afghanistan onto a tiny village of 350 people.
“The women and girls here are terrified. Andy Burnham is turning their lives upside down.
“What kind of a government does this to its own people?”
He said a future Reform government would hold chief executives accountable who take up Home Office contracts and ensure they are “criminally responsible” for any dangerous acts by those housed on their accommodation.
Zia Yusuf has stated that a future Reform government would prosecute chief executives that house migrants, should those migrants go on to commit crimes
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Local Parish councillor in Piddington, Joe Marshall, told GB News: “We’re more than two weeks since that sort of quick cornered discussion that the Prime Minister had with GB News, where he promised to listen to us, and unfortunately, from that point onwards, we are yet to have any form of conversation.
“Our chairman, Tim McNally, is very present on social media, his phone number can probably even be found on a Google search if the Prime Minister wanted it. But unfortunately, he’s not reached out.”
The village’s population is only around 400 people and Mr Marshall stressed that the residents have had “no form of consultation” on the plans to house more than 1,000 asylum seekers at the base.
He told GB News: “The Home Office have still clearly indicated that they’re pushing ahead with the plans and that they’re they’re going to engage with the local authorities and the police and all the relevant people.
Mr Marshall told GB News that rural policing have informed them that they ‘cannot do anything’ to protect villagers | GB NEWS
“But when we actually discuss things with the local authority and ourselves as a parish council, we’ve not had any form of consultation or even a discussion. We’re yet to see any plans, and we know that categorically what’s being proposed here doesn’t work.”
Asked whether the locals would be more comfortable if the asylum seekers were not allowed to leave the base, the councillor said there needs to be “secure site premises and improved vetting” of those being moved in.
He said: “I think it would definitely help the situation, obviously 1,250 to our our village population is easily three times if not four times the number that we have.
“And I think the concern that we have is that if there happens to be five per cent or two per cent or one per cent that have got ill intentions, they may have mental health conditions, there’s a risk directly to the village.
“So if there was improved vetting, secure site premises that was well managed, then there may be potential that the village would be a little bit more comfortable with the decision, but ultimately we feel like we’re not having any real input on the discussion.
“And obviously we’re not being consulted at all about what our needs may potentially be.”
Asked what response he would like to see from the Government, Mr Marshall urged Labour to publish the “risk assessments” for not only the Bicester site, but the other former military bases housing asylum seekers.
He told GB News: “I think ultimately there’s a few areas that we’d like to have responses from. Would like to see their risk assessment of how they’re going to manage these sites.
“Obviously we haven’t got a local police station, there’s not really the resources in the police at present to respond.”