Westminster Labour has called on the local Conservative leadership to reject comments made by Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp following his visit to the Church Street Estate.
In an open letter to Westminster Conservative leader Cllr Paul Swaddle, Labour councillors accused Philp of using “divisive language” after he highlighted the number of social housing households on the estate headed by people born outside the UK.
Philp published a video following his visit on 21 August in which he said that 457 of the estate’s 600 heads of household were not born in the UK, describing the figure as “staggering”.
Westminster Labour said the statistic failed to acknowledge that many of those residents are now British citizens, while pointing out that 57% of Westminster residents were themselves born overseas.
The group has now challenged Cllr Swaddle to clarify whether he agrees with Philp’s intervention and with Conservative proposals to restrict access to social housing to British citizens.
In its letter, Westminster Labour said:
“Westminster is home to people from Europe and across the world, including members of the Windrush generation and Commonwealth citizens who came here to work, build their lives and our country.”
Labour councillors argued that Westminster already operates eligibility and local connection requirements for social housing, saying residents who qualify have demonstrated a genuine connection with the area regardless of their birthplace or nationality.
The group added that it was particularly concerned about the rhetoric given that Church Street and Edgware Road are due to be the focus of a rally by UKIP leader Nick Tenconi next weekend.
“We condemn Chris Philp’s divisive language,” the letter said, before calling on Westminster Conservatives to join Labour in “standing up for Church Street residents and Westminster residents of all backgrounds”.
The intervention also turns the argument towards the supply of affordable housing. Westminster Labour challenged the Conservatives to support its plans to deliver more than 1,000 new social homes by 2035, arguing that increasing supply should be at the heart of efforts to address housing pressures in the borough.
The row is likely to intensify the political debate over housing in central London, where high costs, limited social housing supply and the capital’s internationally diverse population have made access to affordable homes an increasingly prominent issue.
