A Mail on Sunday article criticising local councils for “handing out gift cards and fun days” to asylum seekers has been perfectly debunked.
Over the weekend, the paper ran an article with the headline ‘Crazy golf trips, circus tickets and countless Amazon parcels: How cash-strapped councils are handing out gift cards and fun days to asylum seekers using taxpayer money.’
The article did exactly what it said on the tin, whipping up anger and fury against vulnerable people who the vast majority of the time have arrived in the UK fleeing war and persecution.
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It comes off the back of similar claims by the likes of Reform’s Zia Yusuf that Kent County Council was spending its ‘asylum budget’ on bowling and crazy golf trips.
But the inflammatory framing of these claims has been perfectly debunked in a thread on X by Labour councillor Sebastian Salek.
He explained that the Mail on Sunday had missed out a “crucial detail” from their report and that there was a “very good reason” asylum seekers get things like circus tickets and Amazon parcels.
Salek pointed out that the money spoken about was being spent on unaccompanied children who have lost their parents, and that, crucially, they were getting exactly the same support as British children in the same situation.
He wrote: “They might have fled the Taliban or been at risk of becoming child soldiers. The key thing: they’re getting exactly the same support as similar British children.
“When unaccompanied minors seek asylum, they enter the care system. Children in care go swimming. They go to the circus. They play with toys. It’s an important part of their development. And we all benefit from it.
“Because children in care are extremely vulnerable. Thousands go missing every year. That puts them at risk of exploitation, homelessness, or crime. When those problems are prevented rather than fixed, we all win.”
Addressing the reports of adult asylum seekers also getting money from councils, Salek pointed out that from the ages of 18 to 25 children in care become care leavers.
“Councils must help them transition into adult life, including support with accommodation, education, and training,” he explained.
Acknowledging that there will no doubt be some abuse within the system, Salek made the comparison that “someone is probably committing pension fraud right now. But that’s not reason to take away all our pensions.”
He concluded: “These young people have fled war, persecution, and unimaginable trauma. They deserve the same protection and opportunities as anyone in care. It’s a shame the Mail on Sunday chose to punch down on vulnerable children instead.”