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John Swinney has criticised the “poor approach” taken by the Home Office after it announced plans to house around 300 asylum seekers at a military barracks in Inverness. The First Minister said the UK government had got it wrong by not engaging with the local community about the use of Cameron Barracks. “I think whatever approach is taken here, the emphasis has got to be on engagement with communities about the proposals that are being brought forward,” he told journalists following a speech at a conference in Edinburgh on Wednesday. “I think the reaction from Highland Council and a number of community representatives in Inverness demonstrates there has absolutely been a poor approach taken by the Home Office, which is, frankly, consistent with how the Home Office operates.” In a joint statement from its convener, leader and the leader of the opposition, Highland Council said there were concerns about “community cohesion” if the plans go ahead. Mr Swinney said: “I recognise these are sensitive issues and they require careful and sensitive handling and they require good engagement. All of that has been missing from how the Home Office has gone about this.” Read The Steamie - our dedicated politics newsletter The First Minster would not be drawn on his preferred method for housing asylum seekers in Scotland, saying there had been hotels used in his constituency, which were “carefully managed and addressed”. Pressed on the issue, he said: “We could go through a list of prospective accommodation, I’m just going to say that people have got to be treated with respect and the circumstances have got to be the subject of good dialogue with local communities.” Speaking to journalists later at the same Edinburgh event, which was organised by the think-tank IPPR Scotland, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said it should not have come as a surprise that the barracks was being mooted as a potential site. “It has been a clear policy indication from the UK Labour government for a very long time now that they want to end the use of asylum hotels, that they recognise the pressures that exist in the housing stock across the country, and how that then has knock-on impacts and challenges when you have a housing emergency in Scotland,” he said. “So for the Scottish Government to pretend that somehow this is now a shock, I just don’t buy that argument. “What is it they’re suggesting? Are they suggesting we should instead use asylum hotels or social housing? Or are they supporting the use of the barracks? “I think the confusion is on the party of the Scottish Government’s policy and position here.” Mr Sarwar also pushed back on claims the housing of asylum seekers could endanger women and girls, saying people should be “careful that we are not amplifying a message too many on the far right want to portray, that every single person that is waiting for a decision from the Home Office is somehow a threat and a danger to our communities and our society”. Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing previously said he had received “numerous messages” of “deep concern” from constituents since the news broke. He said: “Many constituents have told me they are particularly worried about the proposed accommodation of several hundred men in such a central location, close to residential areas. “They are especially concerned for safety of women and girls. These concerns are about safety and community capacity – not prejudice – and they must be taken seriously.”
