‘More than fair’ for migrants to share hotel rooms says Rishi Sunak - as he confirms two more barges

5 June 2023, 11:41

Rishi Sunak has said migrants must be prepared to share hotel rooms ‘where appropriate’ after a protest in central London by a group of refugees.

Mr Sunak said during a speech in Dover that sharing rooms had opened up an extra 11,500 places and would save taxpayers £250m.

“We’re also making more efficient use of hotels by asking people to share rooms where it is appropriate to do so,” he said today.

“If you’re coming here illegally, claiming sanctuary from death, torture, or persecution then you should be willing to a share a taxpayer-funded hotel room in Central London.”

His comments come after a protest about cramped conditions at a Pimlico B&B last week where people slept on the street after being told they had to share four people to a room.

Read more: Migrants in standoff with Home Office after being ‘made to live four per room’ in central London hotel

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The stand-off was eventually resolved after a compromise was reached that saw only two people per room.

The government is under pressure to slash the £7m a day bill for housing migrants in hotels while their claims are being processed.

Mr Sunak also confirmed two further barges will be used to house around 1,000 asylum seekers as he admitted there is still a ‘long way to go’ on tackling the issue.

In a speech today outlining Government progress on tackling illegal migration, Mr Sunak said the plan is ‘starting to work’.

HE said crossings were down 20%, explaining: “Our plan is starting to work. Before I launched my plan in December, the number entering the UK illegally in small boats had more than quadrupled in two years. Some said this problem was insoluble, or just a fact of 21st century life. They'd lost faith in politicians to put in the hard yards to do something about it. And of course, we still have a long way to go. But in the five months since I launched the plan, crossings are now down 20% compared to last year.

"This is the first time since this problem began that arrivals between January and May have fallen compared to the year before.

He suggested that the UK was doing better than other European countries, but said that the Government was not "complacent".

"With grit and determination, the Government can fix this and we are using every tool at our disposal."

He said his message to migrants would be: "If you're coming here illegally, claiming sanctuary from death, torture or persecution, then you should be willing to share a taxpayer-funded hotel room in central London.

"To reduce pressures on local communities, we'll also house people on ships, the first will arrive in Portland in the next fortnight and we've secured another two today that will accommodate another thousand."

"Today I can confirm new large sites will open at Wethersfield and Scampton, with hundreds moving in over the summer, and nearly 3,000 by the autumn.

"And while we're bringing those sites online, we're also making more efficient use of hotels by asking people to share rooms where it's appropriate to do so."

He said the UK cannot allow its “generosity of spirit” to be “used as a weapon against us”.

"We cannot allow our generosity of spirit to be used as a weapon against us or against those who are being pushed to risk their lives in the channel by criminal gangs."

He insisted the Government was "not complacent" and warned more people would likely cross the Channel over the summer.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it sounds "like Groundhog Day".

He told reporters in Somerset: "I think everybody wants to make sure that we stop the boats, we don't want people making that dangerous journey.

"All we've really had from the Government though is the announcement of a policy that doesn't work and then the reannouncement of the same policy, essentially.

"It often feels, I think, like Groundhog Day and meanwhile that's costing a fortune for the taxpayer and there's this growing sense of frustration."