Asylum seekers abandoned - Braverman failing in her duty as Home Secretary

The Liberal Democrats have warned that Home Secretary Suella Braverman is “failing in her duty” as Home Secretary, after reports asylum seekers have been left stranded in central London by the Home Office.

It comes after Robert Jenrick emphasised last night on ITV’s Peston that the Home Secretary has a duty not to release asylum seekers into destitution.

Suella Braverman also assured Parliament on Monday that she had refused to release people into local communities "without having anywhere for them to stay”.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said:

“Asylum seekers being abandoned with no place to stay in central London is the most blatant sign that the system is completely broken.

“Suella Braverman is failing in her basic duty as Home Secretary. She needs to urgently explain how this has been allowed to happen, despite the assurances given to Parliament earlier this week.

“It’s intolerable that vulnerable people are being left without help because of the endless chaos and incompetence of this government.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

On Monday, Suella Braverman stated in the Commons that "What I have refused to do is to prematurely release thousands of people into local communities without having anywhere for them to stay" (BBC News).

Robert Jenrick stated on ITV's Peston yesterday that: “There is also a duty not to leave people destitute and it would be quite wrong for the Home Secretary, or me as the immigration minister, to bail people onto the streets of rural Kent without suppo