Hodge Jumps on Anti-Immigrant Bandwagon

27 May 2007

Discriminatory proposals for the allocation of social housing were today slammed by MPs including Hackney North and Stoke Newington’s representative Diane Abbott. The reaction follows Industry Minister Margaret Hodge’s suggestions at the weekend for immigrants to automatically be put to the back of the queue for social housing.

Commenting on the proposals Diane argued:

“Mrs. Hodge has implied that at the moment immigrants receive some sort of special treatment for social housing, that is simply not true. The problem with housing does not come from immigrants being given first choice but rather from the major lack of housing in this country. If Mrs. Hodge’s constituents are complaining about not being able to get a house then she should be fighting for more houses to be built.

The idea of a native-born preference for social housing is clearly discriminatory. Black and ethnic minority communities are much more likely to have arrived more recently in this country and therefore will have less chance of getting a house. Social housing should be allocated on the basis of need and nothing else. This is supposed to be a Labour government, so why are some Ministers allowing the BNP to dictate our policies?”

Representatives of the Refugee Council hit out at the misinformation given by Hodge. Currently asylum seekers have no right to council housing and immigrants from the EU have restricted access to benefits. The homelessness charity Shelter called for a non-racialised debate on the desperate need for more housing in this country.

 



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