Tory MP names hotel where asylum seekers will stay 48 hours after firebomb attack

Jump to contentSign up to our newslettersSubscribeNewsSportsVoicesCultureLifestyleTravelPremiumA Conservative MP has been urged to apologise after he went on TV and named a hotel in his constituency where asylum seekers will be housed.Jonathan Gullis, who made the comments 48 hours after a fire-bomb attack on an immigration centre, was accused by opposition MPs of “emboldening” those would seek to harm migrants.Mr Gullis, a former minister, claimed migrants were “coming to the UK for no reason whatsoever” as he announced where his constituents could find them. In reality, the government’s own figures show the vast majority claim asylum, with a majority accepted as legitimate refugees.In the same appearance on Channel 4 News on Monday night the Stoke MP complained at the number of people being housed in his constituency.”The Home Secretary’s made it clear that she has sought to seek hotel accommodation. But let’s be quite frank, the British people aren’t happy with this,” he said.”This is a totally unacceptable situation to people, particularly in places like Stoke on Trent, which is the fifth largest contributor to the asylum dispersal scheme in his country, where we already have over 800 people in our city.”Mr Gullis went on to name a hotel where a further 80 people would be housed and claimed that the local police and council were opposed.Far-right groups have targeted hotels used to house asylum seekers in the past, and on Saturday morning a man threw petrol bombs attached to fireworks at a centre for processing migrants in Dover.Mr Gullis’s comments come amid concern that government rhetoric could be putting people in danger and whipping up hatred.Liberal Democrats Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said the MP’s comments were part of a “determined and orchestrated campaign to demonise asylum seekers”.’Jonathan Gullis should apologise but he probably won’t. If he had any decency he would not have said it in the first place,” Mr Carmichael said.’These things are not said by accident. He is part of a determined and orchestrated campaign to demonise asylum seekers ultimately for no better reason than that they are ‘different’. “It is not the Jonathan Gullises or Suella Bravermans of this world that throw the bombs or attack people in the street but the views that they articulate embolden others who might.”Mr Carmichael added: ‘We need a reasoned and rational debate around these issues. One which is based in facts and not overblown rhetoric. ‘This morning we should be talking about the failure of the Conservatives to process more than 4 per cent of asylum applications last year. 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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3.Manchester City FC/GettyProtesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don’t Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the dayAFP/GettyBritish Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her government’s mini-budgetGettyThe Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i’r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil.Action Images/ReutersMembers of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in LondonAFP via Getty ImagesMembers of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on MondayPAThe first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on MondayPACrowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough CastleGettyCrowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth IIKatielee Arrowsmith/SWNSMembers of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through BallaterAFP/Getty’We should be talking about Suella Braverman’s incompetence, and not her attention-seeking and hate-filled rhetoric.’Mr Gullis’s decision to name the hotel comes as embattled Home Secretary Suella Braverman denounced an “invasion” of people arriving on Britain’s shores to claim asylum.In a Commons statement Ms Braverman on Monday rejected claims she had deliberately blocked the use of hotels to ease the pressure on a processing facility at Manston.Around 4,000 people are being held at the former RAF base, which is only designed to accommodate 1,600 people on a temporary basis. Prison inspectors have warned the situation at the centre has “significantly deteriorated” in recent weeks, even since a highly critical inspection.The situation worsened again this weekend after hundreds of people were moved to the centre from the other location which was attacked by firebombs. Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalismBy registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalistsAlready have an account? sign inRegistration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalismBy registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalistsAlready have an account? sign inConservative MP Jonathan Gullis Getty ImagesPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in