Rishi Sunak says refugees must share hotel rooms in central London after Pimlico protest

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The Prime Minister on Monday stepped into the row over refugees having to share hotel rooms after a protest about cramped conditions at a Westminster B&B.

Rishi Sunak said migrants fleeing conflict should be “willing” to bunk with other people while their asylum claims are processed in Britain.

He said the Government had found an additional 11,500 bed spaces by asking people to share rooms “where appropriate”, saving taxpayers an extra £250 million a year.

Speaking at press conference in Dover, Mr Sunak added: “I say to those migrants who are objecting: this is more than fair.

“If you’re coming here illegally, claiming sanctuary from death, torture, or persecution then you should be willing to a share a taxpayer-funded hotel room in Central London.”

Dozens of refugees staged a protest outside a hotel in Pimlico
Evening Standard

Small suitcases and bin bags full of possessions were seen strewn across the street outside the property near Victoria Station.

Up to 30 people in the group had already spent at least one night on the street after rejecting “unsuitable” accommodation in Whitechapel earlier this week, before being moved to the central London B&B.

They ended the stand off after a compromise that would see no more than two people placed in one room.

The Government is under significant pressure to reduce the almost £7million-a-day bill for housing refugees in some 400 hotels across the country, while asylum claims are processed.

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