Criticised asylum accommodation plan dropped

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

Plans to house asylum seekers in a Hampshire town centre that sparked an anti-immigration protest have been dropped.

Havant Borough Council said it had been informed by the government the former retail premises in Waterlooville had been "deemed unsuitable" accommodation.

Former home secretary and MP for Waterlooville Suella Braverman described the site as "utterly inappropriate" and more than 1,000 people staged a protest in the town last week.

Council leader Phil Munday previously accused the MP for Fareham and Waterlooville of seeking to "exacerbate fear".

The proposals would have seen couples and families, totalling 35 people, housed in flats above shops in London Road.

In a statement the council said after a consultation the Home Office "decided not to purchase the property as the accommodation",

Earlier this week, the authority said it had raised concerns about the building not being compliant with fire regulations, and asked how the safety of its inhabitants would be ensured.

Crowds of protesters carrying flags and placards gathered in Waterlooville

Braverman, who wrote to the current Home Secretary Yvette Cooper branding the plan "insulting to local people", welcomed the announcement.

She said: "Those of us who have stood up against this have been called racist, 'inflammatory' and 'divisive'. We are none of these things.

"We are standing up for our country. Well done to the patriotic people of Waterlooville who took a stand for our community and for our country."

Her petition against the plan attracted more than 10,000 signatures.

'Potentially inflammatory'

Crowds of people carrying flags and placards gathered in the Hampshire town for a protest on 30 July.

In a war of words with the MP over the issue, Labour council leader Phil Munday had criticised Braverman for "fundamentally inaccurate language" in referring to asylum seekers as "illegal migrants"

"Inaccurate terminology on a topic which is emotional for many is deeply inappropriate, potentially inflammatory and ultimately misleading the residents we are here to serve," he said in a statement on Thursday.

Last month, 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 was granted a 10-day consultation period on the proposals.

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.