The chief inspector of borders and immigration has called on the Government to “give some certainty” to asylum seekers by speeding up approvals instead of housing them in motels – arguing that “irrespective of the number of stars it may have”, temporary accommodation is “grim”.
David Neal, a retired Royal Military Police officer, called the current backlog of cases “inexcusably high” and said it was “in the interests of everyone in this country” to get people out of the contingency asylum accommodation.
Writing in The Times, the independent inspector, who was appointed by Priti Patel when she was home secretary, acknowledged the Home Office was showing initiative in tackling the crisis, but decision making was struggling to “strike a balance between more speed and quality”.
