Scottish First Minister John Swinney joins call for pause on new asylum arrivals in Glasgow

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has told Sky News he agrees a pause has “got to be put in place” on new asylum seekers coming to Glasgow as the system becomes overwhelmed.

The city is the frontline of the UK’s immigration system, with more arrivals than anywhere else.

Latest UK-wide figures show Glasgow was the local authority with the highest proportion of housed asylum seekers at 59 per 10,000 inhabitants (a total of 3,716).

The UK Home Office is mass-processing asylum claims in order to try and clear a backlog built up over years.

Once an asylum seeker is given the right to stay in the UK, they become a refugee and switch from being the responsibility of the Home Office to the local authority.

The SNP leader was pressed repeatedly by Sky News on whether he supports calls from local leaders in Glasgow for a temporary halt on new arrivals coming to the city for them to catch up with demand.

Speaking to Sky News ahead of the SNP conference in Aberdeen, Mr Swinney said Glasgow City Council’s demand is a “fair and reasonable approach”.

Problems coming together

While immigration is controlled by Westminster, housing and healthcare are among the issues dealt with by the Scottish government.

Scotland’s homelessness legislation means councils must house anyone without a home.

It is a more generous policy than in England, where usually only those with “priority need” are given a roof over their head.

With community tensions spiking and Glasgow council facing a £66m black hole, the city’s leaders are demanding the Home Office pause relocations.

Mr Swinney told Sky News: “What the Home Office has got to with Glasgow is respond to their call for there to be more time given to enable the judgements around homelessness to be put in place.”

Pushed on whether he backs a pause in asylum arrives, Mr Swinney replied: “That’s not what the Home Office are proposing, and I think that has got to be put in place.”

He concluded he “understands” the demands facing Glasgow.

Swinney denies his Govt is partly to blame

The Daily Record reported this week the crisis was being made worse in Scotland by rising homeless applications from elsewhere in the UK, including London, Belfast and Birmingham.

Asked by Sky News whether the SNP’s more liberal laws of providing a home to anyone who declares themselves homeless, he replied: “I think our homelessness approach is the right approach.

“Scotland has a long-established approach to the tackling of homelessness which we believe to be correct.”

He attributed blame for Glasgow’s crisis to the Home Office.

The Home Office has been approached for comment.

Farage ‘repulsive’

In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Swinney was also asked about polling suggesting Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party could be on course to form the official opposition at the Scottish Parliament elections next year.

The SNP chief said he believes the Farage politics are “repulsive” and said “some” of his Scottish supporters are far right.

Responding to Mr Swinney, Reform UK councillor Thomas Kerr said: “John Swinney calls Reform UK ‘repulsive’ – but what’s repulsive is a first minister who’s more interested in sneering at voters than serving them.

“After years of SNP chaos, collapsing services, and broken promises, Scots are desperate for change.”

Russell Finlay, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said it was a “remarkable U-turn from John Swinney”.

He said: “Only this week his grandstanding SNP colleagues were brandishing my party racist and divisive for bringing the concerns of Scots about immigration to Holyrood.”