Asylum accommodation 'inappropriate' - Braverman

Conservative MP for Fareham and Waterlooville Suella Braverman has criticised the plans for accommodation for asylum seekers

Former home secretary Suella Braverman has labelled Home Office plans to house asylum seekers in a Hampshire town centre as "utterly inappropriate".

In a letter to current Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, she described the proposal for the former retail premises in Waterlooville as "insulting to local people".

Havant Borough Council has been granted a 10-day consultation period on the proposals and its leader is set to have a meeting with the Home Office.

The government department said it was in "active dialogue" with the local authority.

Ms Braverman, Conservative MP for Fareham and Waterlooville, wrote such facilities made town centres "no-go zones for the patriotic, common-sense majority".

"This plan will dump further pressure on policing, healthcare and public infrastructure, all while ignoring the legitimate concerns of residents who have been left voiceless."

The MP, who has started a petition against the proposal, also stated on her website: "This site, in the centre of our town, is utterly inappropriate for migrant accommodation. It must be stopped."

Ms Braverman was sacked as home secretary in November 2023, after she defied then prime minister Rishi Sunak over an article accusing the Metropolitan Police of bias in the policing of protests.

'Headline-grabbing'

Havant Borough Council said it had not initially been consulted on the plans after Clearsprings, a procurement company employed by the Home Office for the project, had used an "incorrect email address" in a bid to contact the council.

The council has now been granted a 10-day consultation period on the proposals and the Labour leader Phil Munday is to attend a meeting with the Home Office.

He said: "Everything is being done to ensure our voice is heard whilst dealing with a challenge being felt nationally.

"I look forward to the council providing a response that reflects the concerns of the borough."

Mr Munday also criticised Ms Braverman for referring to asylum seekers as "illegal migrants" on her website.

He said: "They are categorically not recognised by the state as illegal immigrants - regardless of the headline-grabbing title of Suella Braverman's petition - and I urge people to consider this in their views and actions."

The Home Office said: "We are working to fairly disperse asylum seekers across the country, consulting closely with local authorities and listening to local concerns."