Today’s comments from the Home Secretary are shameful, divisive scapegoating, using vulnerable people to stoke a culture war at a time when far-right activity is already on the rise.

Haringey has a proud history of welcoming refugees, including LGBT+ people fleeing persecution, torture and imprisonment.  It is desperate and dangerous to demonise them to try and deflect from Tory failures.

It is also nonsense – LGBT+ people make up a tiny proportion of asylum claims.

Responsibility for the utter mess of the asylum system lies with the Home Secretary.  Under her watch we have seen a record high backlog of unprocessed asylum cases, leaving people trapped in limbo for months and years, and costing the taxpayer £8 million pounds a day on hotel bills.  Divisive rhetoric does nothing to build the international co-operation needed to establish return agreements – also down by 70%.

Britain deserves better than this cruel, political game playing.

Catherine West MP