Wealthy areas must play their part in housing asylum seekers, Burnham suggests
UK politician Andy Burnham has suggested that wealthy areas should share the responsibility of housing asylum seekers to relieve pressure on poorer communities. The proposal follows local protests against using military bases for migrant accommodation, sparking debate over equitable distribution.
Why it matters
It highlights the ongoing political tension in the UK regarding immigration policy, infrastructure capacity, and the socioeconomic divide in housing refugees.
Image source, Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images By James Gregory and Richard Wheeler Political reporters Published 7 minutes ago Prime Minister Andy Burnham has suggested that wealthy areas of the UK should house more asylum seekers.
"We cannot have a situation where it's only the poorest communities in the country that receive all of the dispersal of refugees and asylum seekers," he told GB News , external on Tuesday.
His comments came in response to a question about protests which have taken place in the village of Piddington, Oxfordshire over plans to provide accommodation for asylum seekers on a nearby former military base.
But shadow home secretary Chris Philp, responding to Burnham's comments, said: "We shouldn't be housing illegal immigrants anywhere – wealthy or not."
Home Office plan to use more military bases to house asylum seekers
Published 26 June Inverness barracks asylum seeker plan dropped, says MP
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in