Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, said small towns and the countryside may be asked to accommodate more people crossing the Channel in small boats “if the numbers are so high”. His comments came in Parliament as MPs expressed concern about his department’s chaotic procedures. Jonathan Gullis, the Conservative MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, said asylum seekers were being “dropped” in his constituency by private contractor Serco. “When will the minister tell Serco Stoke-on-Trent that it has done its job and will not use it again? And if he doesn’t, why shouldn’t he?’ asked. Genrick said the government was “trying to procure accommodation in a much wider range of local authorities than has been seen in the past”. “Historically, the issue has focused on cities including Stoke-on-Trent. We are now looking to source accommodation more widely in smaller cities, towns and even in some cases rural areas. “That means, I’m afraid, that since the numbers are so high that more parts of the country are dealing with this issue – but it ensures greater fairness in how we, as a country, deal with it.” Another Tory MP said someone under police investigation for a serious offense was put up at a hotel in his constituency but has since disappeared. Greg Smith, MP for Buckingham, said: “Buckinghamshire Council learned third-hand from a London borough only this morning that an asylum seeker who is under investigation for a very serious offense has been taken to the Asylum Hotel in Buckingham by the Metropolitan police, but was not taken to the premises and has been missing since. “This process is completely unacceptable.” Reports claimed that the perpetrator identified by Greg Smith in Parliament was accused of rape. According to the Telegraph, a 39-year-old suspect was arrested and taken into custody by Metropolitan police officers following reports that a teenage boy had been raped at a hotel in London’s Waltham Forest on October 5. He is currently on bail pending further inquiries and is due to return to the police station in early January. A Home Office source said: “This suspect’s bail conditions are a matter for the police and we have no power to detain him. There is no evidence that he has escaped.” Philip Hollobone, MP for Kettering, has claimed that Albanian immigrants are behind a crime wave in his constituency. “From where I sit, at the moment, Her Majesty’s Government are neither protecting our coasts nor protecting my local community from the increase in imported crime,” he said. The Albanian Prime Minister recently criticized UK politicians for fueling anti-Albanian racism by making baseless claims. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Europe is facing a wave of immigration from the Middle East, Africa and Asia, but the UK takes in a much smaller proportion of people than most of its neighbours. Seventeen EU countries received higher numbers of asylum applications per capita last year, according to an analysis of official figures. The criticism follows a lukewarm reception to the latest UK-France deal signed on Monday, which will cost British taxpayers £63m a year. Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, told the Commons that the government was “simply not doing enough” to tackle criminal gangs involved in small boat crossings. Jenrick said more than 30,000 “illegal crossings” had been prevented since the start of the year, with hundreds of arrests and the dismantling of 21 organized crime gangs. More than 40,000 people have crossed in small boats so far this year, including 1,800 last weekend alone, according to official figures. The government predicted in February that the numbers arriving in the UK via small boats could reach 60,000. In a subsequent parliamentary hearing, Charlie Taylor, HM chief inspector of prisons, raised the treatment of young people at Manston processing centre, which he visited earlier this year. Some staff responsible for children had not undergone full disclosure and barring services checks as required by law, he told MPs and his colleagues on the joint human rights committee, while some young women at the site had no access to phones for more than 24 hours. “There is not a single oversight and accountability body. The concern is that different problems will slip through the cracks,” he said. The inspectorate is due to visit again soon, he added.
