Mahmood Angers Ministers Over Asylum Homelessness Impact
Shabana Mahmood has angered Cabinet colleagues by repeatedly refusing to say how much she expects her asylum changes to increase homelessness. Home Office ministers will meet other departments in the coming days to agree a compromise, amid warnings of a staffing crisis in social care. The Home Office insists that ending asylum hotels “will not leave people homeless”.
Last November Mahmood announced plans to end permanent leave to remain and the duty to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. Her own department’s impact assessment, published this month, admits homelessness could rise and warns of “financial hardship or destitution”. One source said she had “point-blank refused to engage” with questions on homelessness and community cohesion. Her allies say the effects cannot yet be measured because the details are not settled. The dispute pits the Home Office against colleagues working on the government’s pledge to end rough sleeping.