A top Labour minister has brushed off a grilling from Christopher Hope after the Home Office was hit with accusations of a “cover up” over its asylum seeker policy.
On Tuesday, the Home Office was accused of covering up the number of local authorities wanting to put asylum seekers in newly revamped council houses.
Shabana Mahmood’s department rejected a Freedom of Information request from GB News that was looking for confirmation on the local authorities which had expressed an interest in the £500million Home Office Asylum Fund.
The People’s Channel also requested information on local authorities that had been shortlisted, invited to participate, or confirmed as part of the controversial programme. GB News also revealed the Home Office holds the requested information.
Responding to the shocking revelation, Steve Reed told GB News: “It’s not my department, but what we want to do…
“The Conservatives brought in this terrible policy about asylum seeker hotels, and we can see how it’s inflamed the situation.”
He continued: “They ended up doing that because for some reason, I can’t explain why, they stopped processing applications.
“Therefore they couldn’t identify who needed to be removed from the country and then remove them. So they put people in hotels. Now we’re processing applications faster so we can end the Tory asylum seeker hotel policy.
“If you get these done more quickly, then it’s up to any individuals who are given the right to remain here to find their own accommodation.”
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