Rishi Sunak is eyeing up a new social housing overhaul as part of a tough new approach to migration.
The Government is looking at plans to give UK families priority when it comes to social housing, in a scheme that will be sold as “British homes for British workers”.
A consultation is expected to be launched into the scheme in the coming weeks, as part of an attempt to give British citizens faster access to social housing.
But housing industry experts have warned that it could be both unworkable and illegal. Polly Neate, chief executive of the housing charity Shelter, warned that it is “unenforceable and unjust”.
Rishi Sunak is eyeing up a new social housing overhaul as part of a tough new approach to migration
PA
She said: “This policy amounts to nothing more than scapegoating at its worst. It is unnecessary, unenforceable and unjust.
“Not only does it ignore the fact that there are already stringent rules so only UK citizens or those with settled status can access homes for social rent, but it blames a group of people for a housing emergency that they did not create.”
The move comes as part of an attempt by the Government to bolster its position on migration, after a poll from YouGov, published earlier this month, showed that 2019 Conservative voters have little faith in the Prime Minister’s ability to deal with immigration.
Just 35 per cent of respondents said they trust him on the issue. But 54 per cent said they trust Nigel Farage on the issue. The survey found that support for the PM’s party has fallen to just 20 per cent, a level not seen in Sunak’s time as Prime Minister.
Approval ratings last hit this level in October 2022, just before Liz Truss was forced out of office. The polling shows that Labour now has a 27-point lead over the Conservatives.
Sunak’s Safety of Rwanda Bill passed through the House of Commons earlier this month after the Prime Minister faced down dozens of Tory MPs over his flagship illegal immigration policy.
MPs voted by 320 to 276 to support Sunak’s proposed legislation in its third reading. It is now facing scrutiny from peers in the House of Lords.
Giving a press conference after the Bill passed through the Commons, Sunak warned the Lords not to disrupt the passage of the bill.
He urged the House of Lords to “get on board and do the right thing” in supporting his Rwanda Bill, warning peers not to “frustrate the will of the people”.
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Sunak’s Safety of Rwanda Bill passed through the House of Commons earlier this month after the Prime Minister faced down dozens of Tory MPs over his flagship illegal immigration policy
PA
The PM said: “There is now only one question. Will the opposition in the appointed House of Lords try and frustrate the will of the people as expressed by the elected House, or will they get on board and do the right thing? It’s as simple as that.”
The Prime Minister said he wants to see flights taking off “as soon as practically possible”, adding that the Government is “not messing around because we’re also frustrated and fed up”. He said he “shares the frustration of the British people” and wants to “end this legal merry-go-round”.
