Labour today warned of a “disastrous rise in homelessness” among Afghans who helped British forces fighting the Taliban.
Thousands of Afghans who fled to the UK when extremists rampaged across their homeland two years ago face being kicked out of hotels. Many are still living in temporary, government-funded hotel accommodation - but face eviction.
Shadow Immigration Minister Stephen Kinnock has written to Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick warning of a “disastrous rise in homelessness amongst the Afghan community”. In the letter, seen by the Mirror, he warns: “It would be quite catastrophic should these loyal-to-Britain Afghans who sacrificed so much to support Western causes in Afghanistan now be thrown out onto the street.”
Mr Kinnock said: “We owe many Afghans a debt of gratitude for supporting British aims in Afghanistan, yet the Government’s Operation Warm Welcome has fast become Operation Cold Shoulder. It is deeply concerning that the Government has issued eviction notices to the loyal-to-Britain Afghans, meaning hundreds of families could face homelessness later this summer.
“Yet more poor planning from the Home Secretary has left Afghans facing a cliff edge, causing enormous stress to vulnerable families whilst putting huge pressure on local authorities who are now having to scrabble around to find private accommodation at short notice. It is not good enough and this chaotic Conservative Government should be ashamed.”
The Local Government Association last week warned that up to a fifth of Afghan refugees in some parts of England who have been evicted from hotel accommodation have presented to councils as homeless. It called on the Government to pay to keep hotel places open for those struggling to find somewhere to live, warning the situation is "likely to worsen significantly" in the coming weeks.
The UK promised a safe haven for thousands of people who had to flee their home country as the Taliban swept back into power in August 2021 - with many living in hotels since arriving. The Government said latest figures showed around 8,000 Afghans remain in hotels, with updated numbers due to be published in the next few weeks.
Veterans' Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer admitted he will have failed if any of the families end up on the streets. He told the BBC: "That has not happened and that is not going to happen."
He argued the "vast majority" of those presenting as homeless "have actually been offered somewhere to live, it's just for some of them, it's not where they want to live". Last month, he told Parliament there was no reason why Afghans being settled in the UK cannot live without government support, saying ministers expect "families to help themselves".
He said people would be expected to have left their temporary accommodation by the time their notice period expires. Residents were given at least three months' notice, with that period having expired at the end of July for some.
A Government spokesman said: "We've seen good progress with Afghans leaving hotels, with 10,500 Afghans so far provided with homes. We will continue to provide extensive support to all those in hotels, backed by £285million of new funding to speed up the resettlement of Afghans into permanent accommodation, with many councils using this to provide deposits, furniture, rental top-ups and rent advances, among others."
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