On Tuesday I spoke in the House about the Government’s intended closure of bridging hotels for Afghan nationals who were evacuated from Afghanistan during Operation Pitting. I asked Veterans Minster Johnny Mercer what this would mean for large families who have so far not been rehoused because there is a lack of provision for them in existing housing stock.

Many of these families have been in hotel accommodation since they were first evacuated in August 2021 precisely because the Government haven’t been able to find large enough housing up to now. They will be offered help and support for three months and then effectively evicted from their current hotel accommodation. There are still approximately 8,000 Afghan nationals living across 59 bridging hotels nationally, including locally in Garston and Halewood.

They were evacuated because either the work they did for the UK Government in Afghanistan left them in danger of Taliban reprisal or because they were under direct threat of persecution. Many risked their lives working alongside our armed forces.  They deserve better, and were promised more, than three months notice of hotel closure. The Government owed it to them to not leave them in bridging hotels for so long in the first place.

You can see the Ministers reply above.