Political Opinion: Lee Anderson MP: British people must be prioritised for British housing
Last week I wrote to the Home Secretary about the latest madcap idea for Government to house asylum seekers.
There is a new Government pilot scheme that the Home Office is pumping £100 million into, funding local councils to build new properties, as well as refurbish derelict ones. These new houses will then be leased back to the Home Office to make room for asylum seekers. Reportedly, almost 200 local authorities have already expressed interest in the scheme.
This is outrageous. How many times have I said that British people must be prioritised for British housing. Clearly not content with just giving asylum seekers a hotel room, instead, thanks to Labour, we will soon have new council houses being built exclusively for asylum seekers. Of course, it will be the British taxpayers who will be forced to pay for it. Forget smashing the gangs, this is yet another pull factor for illegal immigrants to come to Britain.
Here in Ashfield we have over 7000 people on the waiting list for social housing, over 1 million nationwide. There are countless young British people desperate to get a foothold on the housing ladder, people up and down the country struggling with skyrocketing rents, British families who have been on social housing waiting lists for years, and our own people who have hit hard times. But young men who have only just set foot in Britain, many doing so illegally, they have never paid taxes, but they soon will be able to immediately walk into a brand new council house.
It is yet again another kick in the teeth to the British people who are being treated as second class citizens. I raised this issue to the Minister in the House of Commons this week, but like usual I didn't get an answer. Here's a better solution to the asylum seeker housing problem: detain and deport.
The pub is the one of the staples of British society. They are the backbone of our communities, and a huge part of our heritage and our culture. So for Rachel Reeves to come after them with new tax raids would have spelled the death knell for many pubs.
So, the latest U-turn from the Government is a welcome one. Their closures would be a catastrophe for our culture as well as the economy. Pubs have already been lumbered with astronomical energy costs thanks to Ed Miliband's net zero obsession, as well as proposals to make drink driving laws stricter by lowering the permitted alcohol limit. If the Labour Government cared for British pubs, they should not only erase the tax burden but cut energy costs and incentivise businesses.