MP in 'tooth and nail' vow as Black Country hotel lined up for asylum seekers

Marco Longhi said he had been notified by the Home Office that a hotel in Dudley had been identified to temporarily house migrants.

The Conservative MP for Dudley North has written to residents expressing his anger at the move and calling on them to join him in trying to get it stopped.

It comes after Rishi Sunak pledged to end the system of putting migrants in hotels while their asylum applications are being dealt with.

Mr Longhi wrote: "I know many will be disappointed and angry by the decision of the Home Office. I know I am disappointed and very angry.

"This ward is already suffering from several issues such as anti-social behaviour, burglary and by one of the highest fly-tipping and litter problems across Dudley, which your three local councillors have failed to tackle over decades.

"The crime rate is also extremely high and the last thing this ward needs is accommodation full of unchecked asylum seekers.

"As your local MP I will fight this decision of the Home Office and I will do everything to prevent this proposal becoming reality.

"I have already held several meetings and communications with key parties, but I also request your support.

"I will fight tooth and nail to resist this."

Dudley Council is understood to be in contact with the hotel and is considering serving a temporary stop notice.

For years the Home Office has been using hotels to temporarily house asylum seekers while they wait to be processed through a deal with Serco.

Ministers have pledged to end the practice, but instead it has been ramped up over the past year due to the high numbers of migrants entering the UK from across the Channel.

Announcing new plans to cut down on the backlog of asylum claims last week, Rishi Sunak said disused holiday parks, former student halls and surplus military sites would be used instead of hotels.

“We have already identified locations that could accommodate 10,000 people and are in active discussions to secure these and many more," the Prime Minister said.

“Our aim is to add thousands of places through this type of accommodation in the coming months - at half the cost of hotels.”

Well over 20 hotels across the West Midlands have been taken over by Serco. Sir Gavin Williamson recently described the system as "reckless" after two South Staffordshire hotels were filled with asylum seekers at short notice.