December 8, 2022 1.30 pm This story is over 18 months old

Rishi Sunak promises to ‘reduce pressure’ on Skegness asylum seeker hotels

Several hotels in Skegness are housing asylum seekers
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (left) and MP for Boston and Skegness Matt Warman (right).

The issue of asylum seekers in Skegness was discussed during this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, during which Rishi Sunak said the government will “urgently bring forward proposals to reduce the pressure”.

Over 350 people attended a heated meting last month regarding the situation at The Storehouse in Skegness and accused to government of using the Lincolnshire coastal town as a ‘dumping ground’. It was said at the time that five hotels were being used to house over 200 asylum seekers while they are processed.

The meeting was hosted by MP for Boston and Skegness Matt Warman who previously suggested using disused military bases or larger purpose-built facilities, warning that the use of hotels could “potentially damage the local economy by taking out of service valuable assets to the tourist industry”.

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, December 7, the Lincolnshire MP said: “
Two weeks ago, more than 350 people attended a meeting in Skegness to discuss the use of five seafront hotels to house asylum seekers.

“They were united in their view that there was a long-term economic impact and pressure on public services. They told me loud and clear that they think, as the Prime Minister does, that hotels are the wrong place for asylum seekers.

“Does he agree that the government urgently need to lay out a plan that moves beyond the use of hotels and puts asylum seekers in the right place for them and for coastal communities such as Skegness?”

In response Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “I completely agree with my hon. Friend. We are now spending £6 million a day housing asylum seekers—hotels are incredibly expensive.

“We will urgently bring forward proposals to reduce the pressure but, as he and I know, the best way to solve the problem sustainably is to reduce the number of illegal migrants coming to the United Kingdom, and that is what the government will deliver.”

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