Why do Labour not get it?

[Dacatspjs]

It's being reported today that Labour want to stop using hotels and move migrants into barracks. Fine. But when quizzed on it Luke Pollard has suggested this will be more expensive, but the public want the hotels to close at all costs so it will be worth it.

This to me just seems like another step forward for Reform. The public who care about this, care about how much the government is spending on migrant housing. A new policy that costs more isn't going to go anyway towards solving this problem.

I don't know what the solution is, but spending more money getting mothballed barracks up to spec seems ludicrous.

"Asked about whether it would cost more to house migrants at military bases than in hotels, Mr Pollard insisted that 'the public want to see those hotels close'.

But he added: 'We're looking at what's possible and, in some cases, those bases may be a different cost to hotels, but I think we need to reflect the public mood on this asylum hotels need to close.'"

I'm glad she is ok, must have been terrifying.
Iive in an area where sadly I wouldn't be surprised if one of my neighbours was doing just that, and anyone who does should obviously be arrested. My point is that we can't lock up people who haven't broken the law on the off chance that they might.

Maybe they should knock down all the buildings in these barracks and they could live in rows of tents? No hot water, just a cold standpipe for every 50 people. Food every other day.

Basic enough for you yet?

Well I know most of them very well. No criminals, they respect the laws of our society too.

So we should lock some innocent people up, but not others?

Why the use of quotation marks? Are they not ' ours' to help? How would you secure employment without an address?

It's interesting that in opposition Labour, both Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper specifically, we're against housing asylum seekers in these types of accomodations.

Never heard the word cushy applied to living in a one horse town Premier Inn, but there you go.

I used quotation marks because I was quoting directly from the post.
I also know plenty of homeless people that do work, so it is very possible.
Homeless people are not well served in this country at all, but that's another thread!

Well, if that was advertised on TikTok, I’m pretty sure the boats would stop.

They’ve probably done some sort of focus group testing which was more favourable to this than not. That’s why.

The important thing to realise is that no one on the Labour front bench cares about actually changing anything - on this or any other issue- or achieving anything. That is completely irrelevant. The only thing that matters to them is whether doing a particular thing might enable them to carry on enjoying the salary & benefits that come with office.

Actual effectiveness, cost savings, benefit to the public, etc, are all completely irrelevant.

Surely safety, particularly when you consider the countries these people are coming from, is THE greatest incentive? I don't think any of these people are making dangerous journeys for a daily breakfast buffet.

Oh please stop with the hyperbole. Who is suggesting that? However I would readily support the hotels to be repurposed for the homeless population - like we did during covid. I don't think they'd be moaning about staying in a previously rated 4 star hotel or not having their choice of biscuit

I'm not trying to be argumentative but the fact is the way they arrive here is a crime and until we know who they are and where they're from we should be able to detain them.
Obviously they should have food, shelter and all basic human rights except freedom of movement until they are processed.

"Many have tried to imply this is about immigration, but these are the choices of one man, not an ethnic group"

Do you agree?

But many homeless people suffer from mental health issues and have been failed by the nhs, they are disproportionately care leavers who have been failed by the care system, often suffering abuse in care. Also homelessness has risen because of the extortionate cost of housing and the shortage of social housing. You're average homeless person can't just pop off and get a nice job and afford a house, which is why they are homeless. There are so many people already in this country who are in desperate need, we should start helping them. Letting in a bunch of people who will need housing when we have a housing crisis doesn't seem to be a very good idea.

If you enter a country on a boat illegally, then you have just committed a crime. I’d like to know more about you before I invite you freely into my home. Particularly if you have discarded your documentation.

If you are my neighbour and you are a criminal, I’d like you locked up. But if you are just my neighbour and haven’t broken the law, then I have no reason to want that.

Two separate, but overlapping issues. I've worked with homeless people in my local city, in many cases giving them accommodation is insufficient without a wrap around package of support. As with everything, rising costs and lack of funding are the problem.

@CorneliaCupp - but if these neighbours travelled abroad they would pass through passport control and have security checks. People - men - are coming here and we have no idea who they are . They may well be fleeing for their lives - because they are wanted criminals in their country of origin. It is ludicrous to have people wandering around who may range from petty criminals to dangerous sexual predators or murderers. We have no clue. But let’s put them up and let them wander the streets and anyone who expresses any disquiet is a racist, eh?

Part of the solution is processing asylum claims quicker so people don't have to be housed here for as long. It all costs money. It's an intransigent problem created by the Conservatives.

Reform apparently have all the easy and cheap solutions though that no-one ever thought of or tried before because obviously they are so much smarter and more experienced than any other politicians and will have a magic money tree available to them which would not be available to any other party. So yeah, crack on, I'm sure it will be fine and just as good as Farage's other grand plan to leave the EU which is going so well.

Like France do?

I'm suggesting it. And further down people are agreeing with me that it would put migrants off coming.

PPs are making the point that things like hot running water don't exist in rural areas of some countries, so migrants see it as luxury.

So it becomes a matter of how low are we willing to go. That's not hyperbole, it's reality.

Their method of getting to the country may be unlawful, but once they step foot on British soil and claim asylum the are not committing any crime. If the government put more.money into speeding up the asylum process then none of this would be an issue!

Yes they also need support from the NHS and social care which are in crisis too. Putting more strain on all these services really isn't going to help though.

Here is Rylan being fact checked over the 4* hotel claim

https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/rylan-asylum-seekers-claim/

Absolutely agree

Also may take away some of the concerns of large numbers of young men with nothing to do being housed in city centres.

But lets be honest many people in this country do not want to support genuine asylum seekers particularly if they are not white