THE Home Office came under increasing pressure today to commit to an independent inquiry into the treatment of asylum-seekers in Glasgow after charities pulled out of talks with the department. 

Rights charity Positive Action in Housing (PAiH) said today that it will not be co-operating with the government department in its evaluation of the treatment of asylum-seekers in Glasgow. 

Repeated calls have been made for a public inquiry into the “deadly accommodation crisis” affecting Glasgow’s asylum-seekers since hundreds were removed from their homes and placed into hotels as the coronavirus lockdown began.

One young man, 30, was found dead in a Glasgow hotel in May, and in June police shot and killed a Sudanese asylum-seeker who had left six people injured at the city-centre Park Inn.

Campaigners now say a public inquiry is essential to get answers, claiming the current evaluation lacks credibility and independence.

PAiH’s Robina Qureshi said: “This was an inside job from the start to appease calls for a public inquiry. 

“We need an investigation into this deadly accommodation crisis and for all the questions that need answering to be addressed. Nothing less will do.”

The Scottish Refugee Council has also expressed its concerns about the process, urging the Home Office to carry out an independent inquiry.

The charity said any report on the issue should be published in the public interest.

It added: “Ultimately, however, we continue to believe, like many others, that to truly understand all the issues that led to the Glasgow tragedies there needs to be a full and independent public inquiry.”

This latest blow to the Home Office’s evaluation comes after Glasgow’s MPs walked out of a meeting with the department last week, describing the internal actions as “botched.”

The seven SNP MPs have now written to Immigration Minister Chris Philp reiterating their calls, saying those in Glasgow “could not have been clearer” over the need for a public inquiry.

They said: “We urge you to institute such an inquiry, commit to its final report being shared in the UK Parliament and with key Scottish institutions, the refugee-rights sector and, most of all, with asylum-seekers themselves. If you do that, you have our full support and co-operation.”

The Home Office was approached for comment by the Star.