Home Office to send more Channel migrants to Scotland as “hypocrite” Nicola Sturgeon fails to house fair share
OFFICIALS have been ordered to send more small boat migrants to Scotland amid fury at “hypocrite” Nicola Sturgeon failing to house her fair share.
The SNP leader has railed against the government’s plan to deport illegal immigrants to Rwanda – branding it “despicable” and “morally bankrupt”.
But Scotland only agrees to house a tiny number of asylum seekers in hotels outside of its biggest city Glasgow.
Furious Home Office ministers have ordered their officials to scour Scotland for new hotels to put up more migrants.
One senior UK government source fumed: “Nicola Sturgeon rails against our policies but refuses to take her fair share.
“Outside of Glasgow they barely house any of the Channel boat migrants.
“Nicola Sturgeon has been an appalling hypocrite on this issue.
“So we are on the hunt for more hotels on her patch.”
Home Office stats from March 2022 reveal just 61 asylum seekers were housed in “dispersed accommodation” – usually hotels – in Scotland outside of Glasgow.
This was out of 53,530 people needing accommodation across the UK via this route.
Glasgow stood out as the only part of Scotland taking people in – with 4,483 put up in “dispersed accommodation”.
Meanwhile, London took 8,220 under the scheme.
Speaking in December, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick told the House of Commons: “There’s only a dozen hotels outside of Glasgow in the whole of Scotland taking asylum seekers.
“This isn’t fair and equitable.”
A record 45,728 Channel boat migrants arrived in the UK last year.
Rishi Sunak has vowed to “stop the boats” as one of his top priorities.
The PM is working with Home Secretary Suella Braverman on a new, tough immigration Bill designed to “detain and deport” illegal immigrants within days.
The long-awaited plan is due to be unveiled to Parliament within weeks.
Alison Thewliss, the SNP’s home affairs spokeswoman, has said Scotland is “reticent to take more” asylum seekers “because they know the UK Government isn’t funding asylum seeker provision properly”.