LONDON: The UK has a national duty to house Afghan refugees who have been ordered to leave temporary hotel accommodation by the end of the month, the minister for veterans’ affairs has said.
Johnny Mercer called for landlords to offer housing to Afghans using taxpayer-funded rental agreements amid fears that thousands could be left homeless following the government order, The Times reported.
The scheme would require a “national effort” to avoid leaving vulnerable Afghan refugees without accommodation, though many must “manage their expectations” and accept housing offers outside of desirable locations, including London, he added.
Hundreds of Afghans have turned down housing offers that are part of the government’s strategy to end hotel accommodation, which is costing up to $1.25 million per day.
A further £35 million ($44 million) has been put aside by the government for rehousing costs, as well as an extra £250 million in council aid.
Mercer said: “I honestly haven’t met anybody who could not find accommodation. It’s just they have to manage their expectations.
“Some of them want to live in an eight-bedroom property in London, right? That is never going to happen. I don’t even live in London.
“It’s about expectation management. It’s about helping yourself as well.”
The minister added that the government’s hotel accommodation policy is failing as a long-term strategy, preventing thousands of Afghans remaining in Kabul or Pakistan from being transported to the UK.
“We can’t really free up the pipeline to get those who remain in Afghanistan, who we have a duty to, back to the UK,” Mercer said.
In March, government ministers said that about 4,300 Afghans still eligible for evacuation to the UK remained in Afghanistan and other countries.
About 1,000 are living in hotels across Pakistan paid for by the UK government, with about £15 million being spent since January 2022 for accommodation in that country.
Mercer said: “We’re launching this housing portal where essentially you can offer your accommodation and you’re going to get a good, consistent, regular rate, and you’re also doing your bit to accommodate a family from Afghanistan.
“As a nation, we have a duty to these people, and we all need to kind of lean in and get this done, irrespective of your politics or what you think of the situation.”
