The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP
Minister of State for Immigration
Home Office
 

14 September 2023
 
 
Dear Robert,
 
I am writing to express my strong opposition to ongoing plans to house refugees and asylum seekers in prison-like accommodation, and to urge you and the Home Secretary to drop all plans to house – or detain – anybody in ex-military bases, barges and similar, in favour of a humane and evidence based immigration system.
 
The Home Office policy of using such sites is indicative of a failed overall approach. It’s unforgivable to punish already vulnerable people by placing them in accommodation that tends to be remote and difficult to access. It represents a further risk, including of isolation, and cuts them off from immediate potential sources of support. As Alex Fraser, British Red Cross’s UK Director, has said such sites are “entirely inappropriate for people and will lead to significant suffering. Military sites, by their very nature, can re-traumatise people who have fled war and persecution. These sites may also put vulnerable people at risk of exploitation”.
 
Furthermore, we have already witnessed the health risks associated with housing people in sub-standard, old and dangerous accommodation. The Home Office’s attempt to knowingly transfer people onto the Bibby Stockholm on the 11th August, when Legionella bacteria was present, was an abhorrent dereliction of duty. Whilst passengers were eventually evacuated from the barge, it does not seem the lessons have been learned – there has been no replacement of this cruel policy with one that affords dignity to those seeking sanctuary in the UK.
 
Such measures are not even cost-effective on their own terms – a report by Reclaim the Sea suggests that housing asylum seekers on barges such as the Bibby Stockholm could in fact increase costs. Whilst the Government’s continued ban on asylum seekers working for the first 12 months following an application comes at a cost of up to £6.7bn a year to the economy. Allowing all asylum seekers to work would increase tax revenue by £1.3bn each year and add £1.6bn to the UK’s annual GDP, as well as giving people freedom and personal autonomy to begin building up a new life in the UK.
 
If your Government genuinely wanted to 'stop the boats' they would introduce new and safe routes to the UK. Afterall, it’s the lack of such routes that drives people to risk their lives crossing the Channel in such dangerous circumstances. The way forward is not to double-down on inhumanity but to instead protect the lives and dignity of refugees and asylum seekers by:
 

• Immediately scrapping plans to continue housing people in dangerous and inhumane accommodation;
• Increasing the availability of safe asylum accommodation in flats and houses within local communities;
• Working collaboratively with communities and providing adequate funding for local authorities to enable them to welcome people seeking safety, crucially with meaningful consultation;
• Allowing asylum seekers to work whilst their claims are being processed;
• Reversing the “asylum ban” in the Illegal Migration Act and other measures which pave the way for the mass detention of people seeking safety in the UK.
• I look forward to your response to the points above.

 
Yours sincerely,