Our CEO Sabir Zazai responds to a letter from Rupert Soames.
Rupert Soames, CEO of Serco, the multi-billion pound private company who are currently trying to evict destitute people from their accommodation this winter, wrote an astonishing letter to The Herald today.
It is a response to an article praising the work of lawyers in Glasgow, who last week received a well-deserved award for their tireless efforts to stop lock-change evictions.
“The UK asylum system needs fundamental change to put people first and housing should not be outsourced to profit driven companies.” – Sabir Zazai
“Mr Soames acknowledges the UK asylum system is flawed but was happy for his multinational company to take on a multi-billion pound contract in this sector, without advocating for improvements or a fairer deal for the people Serco was paid to house.
“We’re disappointed to see Mr Soames use the old ‘us and them’ trope in his letter. There are many people struggling with poverty and poor housing in Scotland, we don’t need Rupert Soames to tell us that.
“But most of us have moved on from talking about people getting ‘free housing’ and we categorically refuse to accept attempts to divide us and pit people and neighbours against each other.”
“We will continue to fight to ensure that everyone in Scotland has the same housing rights, regardless of the feelings of Mr Soames.”
How can I help?
Join our campaign to #StopLockChangeEvictions.
Support our Winter Destitution Appeal.
Read up on what political parties (A-Z) are saying about destitution. We encourage you to read each party’s manifesto on refugee rights and protections, as we countdown to #GE2019:
Brexit, Conservatives,Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats, SNP, UKIP.
