Labour's asylum seekers plan in Inverness is sensible although system is broken
"It’s easy for the Liberal Democrats to carp from the sidelines. But if they have a better plan, they should speak up and reveal it."
The broken asylum system is one of many problems the Tories failed to fix during their disastrous 14 years in power.
It’s clear many believe people seeking refuge in the UK should not be temporarily housed in hotels paid for by taxpayers.
Keir Starmer has said he would put a stop to it and things are slowly beginning to change.
It was announced this week that an underused Army barracks on the eastern edge of Inverness will be used to temporarily house several hundred men while their claims for settled status are assessed.
But Angus MacDonald, the Lib Dem MP for Inverness, has blasted the decision and claimed the use of the barracks is inappropriate.
The question must then be asked – where would this so-called Liberal MP suggest asylum seekers are housed?
Too many politicians like to mouth platitudes about Scotland welcoming asylum seekers fleeing war – then object when Labour comes up with a sensible solution.
It seems a warm welcome to refugees only applies if they are housed far away from the constituencies of MPs like MacDonald.
Refugees will continue to arrive in the UK, like every major European country, and they need to be housed somewhere.
There’s no doubt Labour needs to speed up the processing of claims so genuine cases get the help they need and chancers are returned to their place of origin.
The system is broken and Starmer faces the unenviable task of trying to fix it.
What Labour has proposed is a reasonable use of a state-owned asset to solve an issue the public has demanded action on.
It’s easy for the Liberal Democrats to carp from the sidelines. But if they have a better plan, they should speak up and reveal it.
Hols hellraisers
Many of us will have enjoyed an airport pint or glass of fizz before jetting off on holiday this summer.
But figures revealed by the Daily Record today show that problem drinking at our main airports is soaring.
Police were called out to more than 300 booze-related incidents at airports last year – that’s almost treble the number of in 2019.
It’s clear a small minority of passengers are using 24-hour drinking at airports to get hammered and cause bother.
And that is leading to calls from government-funded group Alcohol Focus Scotland for airport pubs to be subject to the same strict licensing as other outlets.
The fact is the majority of holiday-makers enjoy a responsible pint or two at the airport without any trouble.
That shouldn’t stop because a daft minority can’t behave themselves.