BRITAIN’s refugee system was criticised last night after it was revealed that a Syrian family’s hotel stay while they fight to be allowed to remain in Britain has cost £28,000 so far.
The family of five have been refused settlement status eight times.
They claim their lives would be at risk if they were returned to Syria and so have been put up in a hotel for 10 months.
The bill for their accommodation is costing Staffordshire County Council £700 a week.
Tory MP Peter Bone said: “If someone has the right to be here or is a genuine refugee then fine. But if they do not they should not be here and should be sent back home. It’s simple.
“This use of taxpayers’ money to keep people in hotels is ridiculous. This is something we simply have to get to grips with.”
The father originally came to the UK in 1998 to study international politics but later returned to his homeland and married in Syria in 2006.
The family returned to the UK in 2014 as refugees during the civil war.
Staffordshire County Councillor Mark Sutton said: “We have a legal duty to protect children and keep them with their parents when their families cannot access public funds.
“Previous legal advice told us we couldn’t use private rented properties so we have always used hotels.”
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