Corby MP Tom Pursglove says Best Western situation is 'highly undesirable' - and takes swipe at rival politicians

Corby MP Tom Pursglove has asked ministers for an urgent meeting over concerns around the future of a Corby hotel.

Since the news that the Best Western Hotel in Corby was to become accommodation for asylum seekers was broken by the Northants Telegraph on Monday morning, thousands of locals have voiced worries over the plan. Brides have also spoken of having their weddings cancelled – some at short notice.

Yesterday (Tuesday, August 23) Mr Pursglove broke his silence to answer concerns – and to launch a vociferous attack on local Labour politicians who he says ‘want it both ways’.

Meanwhile, Corby Constituency Labour Party Chair Martyn Reuby has called for a urgent answers over a series of questions and has taken his own swipe at Mr Pursglove – saying his ‘footprints were all over this’.

Mr Pursglove’s statement, which he released yesterday afternoon, said: “I just wanted to set the record straight about some misinformation that appears to be being peddled by some - presumably for party political reasons locally.

"Let me be clear: in my former ministerial role, which I held until the start of July, I was not responsible for asylum-related accommodation, such as this - that is just a basic matter of fact. Nor would I have been able to take decisions relating to a site within my own constituency, as a basic matter of probity, in any event.

“Those directly claiming this, or insinuating such, should stop - as it is both unhelpful and demonstrably wrong.”

He said he had shared all the correspondence he had received with Minister for Safe and Legal Migration Kevin Foster MP and asked for a meeting, as well as contacting the Home Secretary. He added that he wanted to ‘debunk some myths’ surrounding the issue.

He said: “First, it is wrong to refer to such temporary hotel accommodation as being a 'detention centre' - there are strict rules governing detention and a hotel site would not qualify as such.

“It is also rather staggering to see the breath-taking contradiction between what local Labour politicians locally are saying on this now, relative to that which they wrote in an official letter to me in April of this year. Indeed, in that letter, they strongly opposed the Government's efforts to tackle illegal migration into our country - and the only alternative solution they could muster.. was to ‘properly fund and staff immigration centres in this country.’

"I told them in response that simply wasn't a sustainable solution, yet several months on, we still hear no credible alternative Labour Party plan to address illegal migration flows, despite their protestations about this particular proposal locally. So in that sense, their words ring rather hollow - we are hearing lots of criticism of this touted temporary location from them, at the same time as they seemingly want to expand the use of such centres. You can't have it both ways.

"In fact, the key difference is this. I want to tackle the wider issue and restrict the flow of people coming here illegally, which would render the use of such temporary accommodation sites obsolete and allow them to be closed - while they have no credible plan to achieve this, nor the desire politically, to do so.

"In fact, their cynical shouting from the side-lines, yet do nothing stance nationally, would only see more and more such sites being required, nationwide, in the years to come. They should be honest about what their stance means in reality for communities such as ours in the context of this debate.

“I, like local people, do not wish to see emergency asylum hotel accommodation being stood-up in communities such as ours and I will continue to support a Government that is putting into action a credible plan to stop it being necessary and to close the hotels.”

Meanwhile, yesterday Corby and East Northants Constituency Labour Party Chair Cllr Martyn Reuby wrote to Mr Pursglove with a series of questions over the future of jobs and over how the decision was made.

His letter said: “There is considerable speculation about the future of the Best Western Hotel in Corby. Staff have been in touch with us to advise that they are losing their jobs. Residents who have booked the hotel for private functions such as weddings have had their bookings cancelled at short notice. Groups who use the hotel have suddenly been asked to make alternative arrangements.

“Information on social media is rife that the hotel is changing its use into an Immigration Detention Centre, with individuals being housed in the hotel whilst their asylum claim is processed. If this is true, can you advise when the Home Office made this decision, to take a much loved and used community facility away from the residents of Corby, and use it to house asylum seekers?

“We are alarmed at the lack of consultation to the public. Not a single public meeting has taken place to reassure members of the public that the facility will be safely and securely managed and that there is no risk to the residents who live nearby.

"There are family houses less than 500 metres from the hotel and understandably residents have expressed concern.

“We need answers as to when this facility was agreed. Please do not insult our intelligence by stating that this is nothing to do with you –

you were Home Office Immigration Minister until July 7 and the decision was made while you held that post; clearly your footprint is all over this.”