Robert Jenrick strikes again
Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2023 9:18 pm
Not content to force asylum centres to paint over welcoming murals, he's now blocking charities from visiting asylum seekers staying in Home Office accommodation.
Refugee charity Care4Calais has been stopped from visiting asylum seekers at Napier Barracks, where it offers individuals legal and emotional support.
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Care4Calais had been helping asylum seekers at the accommodation centre in Kent since 2020, before being abruptly told by Clearsprings Ready Homes, the contractor running the site, that it could no longer offer its services at the end of September. It said it was not given a reason for the decision.
The charity has also been blocked from entering RAF Wethersfield, another asylum seeker accommodation site, to give haircuts, clothes and shoes. It is instead having to use a local church several miles away.
Internal emails, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and seen by i, reveal the instructions came directly from Mr Jenrick’s office.
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The emails, initially obtained by Care4Calais, have had names redacted but the Home Office and Clearsprings Ready Homes appear to accuse Care4Calais of “encouraging” asylum seekers to “complain” about their housing conditions and “speak to the media”. [my emphasis]