Kevin Hollinrake calls on Boris Johnson to 'stop' plans for asylum seekers at RAF Linton-on-Ouse

Kevin Hollinrake told Boris Johnson that the move will “devastate the community, it will devastate house prices”.

The intervention in the House of Commons just one day after Mr Hollinrake and other local figures were told that asylum seekers would be arriving to be housed at Linton-on-Ouse by May 31.

The Prime Minister said he heard Mr Hollinrake “loud and clear” but did not commit to putting the plans on hold.

Standing up during Prime Minister’s Questions, the Thirsk and Malton MP said the area “has welcomed asylum seekers from all over the world, including Syria and Ukraine.

“The Government’s plans just announced from May 31, the start of what will be up to 1500 non-detained young single males from different parts of the world, asylum seekers [...] on a base at the centre of a small rural village of 600 people.”

He described the village as “without street lights, without police presence”.

“It will devastate the community,” Mr Hollinrake added.

“It will devastate house prices which will plummet, and the residents in that village will not feel safe to leave their homes alone

He asked the Prime Minister to “please on behalf of the community, please stop these plans”.

Responding, Mr Johnson said: “I hear loud and clear what he has to say and indeed I am the recipient of many of his intercessions on this matter.

“I understand the strength of feeling in his constituency and I am sure there will be further meetings between him and the Home Office about what we can do.”

The Yorkshire Post reported that Mr Hollinrake and other local officials were informed via a Zoom call yesterday that the asylum centre would be operating from the end of this month.

Mr Hollinrake said yesterday he had been “told last week it would be four to six weeks before anybody was moved on to the site.”