Working-class areas have taken more than their fair share of asylum seekers, Lisa Nandy tells Piddington

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said that the government is listening to the people of Piddington but said less affluent areas have already taken “more than their fair share of asylum seekers”.

She told GB News: “Well, look, I do get it. I really do. In my constituency in Wigan, we’ve had real issues with asylum hotels being opened overnight without any notice, and people not being consulted, not being informed, and it’s caused some serious challenges.

“But I guess what I would say to the people of Piddington is, I think it’s absolutely right and fair that they express their views, and I think it’s absolutely right that the government listens to those views.

“But we also have to accept that we are pulling every lever at our disposal to clear the asylum backlog that we inherited, to get small boat crossings down, which were down this summer for the first time, and to get a grip on the asylum chaos that was developed under the Conservative government.

“There are communities across the country, including mine in Wigan, many working-class communities, where they were asked to take more than their fair share of asylum seekers, whether it’s through hotels or HMOs.

“That’s something that a lot of political parties have had things to say about, and something that I, as a local MP, have had things to say about. And we do need to make sure that while we’re getting a grip on this chaos that we inherited, that we do make sure that all communities are doing their bit in order to take people, many of whom will be fleeing persecution, will need a safe haven in Britain, and we’ve always been the sort of country that steps up when we’re needed.”

Asked how it can be fair to locate 1,250 men near a village of 350 people, Nandy added: “Well, I think you have to look at where we’ve had asylum accommodation previously, and it’s tended to be companies like Serco looking for areas that are cheap to rent properties and cheap to rent hotels, and that has traditionally been in poorer communities, more deprived communities, working class communities.”

“I do think that using military bases is a better option than taking over whole streets in some cases of properties where people overnight go from knowing their neighbours to not knowing their neighbours, the population becoming very transient, and it causes serious challenges for those communities.

“So I do think we have to share this load between us. We have to step up to our responsibilities. But the biggest responsibility on government, and I absolutely accept this, is getting that backlog down, is processing claims properly.

“The last government essentially gave up on processing claims in the last couple of years of the Conservative government, and we’ve got to get those numbers down. We’ve got to have an efficient system. Those people who’ve got the right to stay here ought to be processed quickly.

“They ought to go into work and start building their lives and making a contribution, and those people who haven’t will be removed. They’ll be removed swiftly. We’re already making progress on that, but in the meantime, I do think military bases are a better option than asking working-class communities that have had to spend a lot of energy and time supporting not just asylum seekers with accommodation, but also ex-offenders and many other agencies who buy up accommodation in poorer communities.

“I do think it’s fairer that we say that every part of the country has to do their bit. “