Conservative leader Badenoch backs local referendums — MyJoyOnline
UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch supported holding local referendums on accommodating asylum seekers at military bases in Suffolk, including RAF Barnham. She said such votes demonstrate the strength of public sentiment and are a way for residents to ask for help, MyJoyOnline reports.
Plans for RAF Barnham
The UK Home Office is considering accommodating more than 1,000 asylum seekers at RAF Barnham while their applications are being processed. The government describes the use of military bases as a temporary solution and a cheaper alternative to housing people in hotels.
Some residents have expressed concerns about a possible increase in antisocial behaviour and crime. Barnham Parish Council is considering holding a referendum on the village’s independence. Such a result would have only symbolic significance and would not affect Barnham’s system of governance.
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Reform UK representatives on Suffolk County Council also called for a public referendum on accommodating asylum seekers at the base. The opposition Green Party criticised the initiative, while the Labour group said the council has more important areas on which to spend money.
Security statements
Badenoch also commented on the decision by Reform UK-run Essex County Council to hire security guards to patrol the centres of Braintree, Chelmsford and Colchester. The guards have been working there since 14 September to reassure residents concerned about asylum seekers from the MDP Wethersfield camp.
The politician said she understands people’s concerns but believes maintaining law and order is the police’s responsibility. She also expressed concern about the screening of people arriving in the country. At the same time, Essex Police’s chief constable previously said that the level of crime linked to Wethersfield is very low. According to the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory, foreign nationals in England and Wales are convicted at roughly the same rate as UK nationals.
