Nicola Sturgeon: Time to 'shine a light' on asylum seekers' conditions after Glasgow attack

The Scottish Government will be seeking to "improve" the conditions in which asylum seekers are housed, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Nicola Sturgeon has been concerned for years about the conditions faced by asylum seekers

The First Minister said it is time to “shine a light” on the issue but warned that much of the responsibility lies with the UK Government.

It follows an attack in Glasgow last week which saw Badreddin Abadlla Adam, 28, from Sudan, shot dead by police officers after six people - including a police constable David Whyte - were injured the Park Inn Hotel on West George Street.

Asked today if it was a "mistake" for asylum seekers to be housed in hotels during the Coronavirus pandemic, Ms Sturgeon said: "These are largely UK Government decisions.

"Many people will aware of the concerns that have been raised over a long period of time now by the Scottish Government with the Home Office about the conditions in which asylum seekers are sometimes living.

"I know that these are concerns that have been raised by Glasgow City Council and by individual members of Parliament.

She added: "There will be a discussion between Aileen Campbell (Communities Secretary) and a UK Government minister later today to look at these conditions and from the Scottish Government's perspective with a view to ensuring that there are improvements made."

The First Minister said her constituency in the south side of Glasgow has been home to many asylum seekers.

"I have often had concerns about the conditions in which asylum seekers live," she said

"I do think it is an important opportunity to look again and shine a light on these conditions and remember that shared and common humanity is something that should be at the heart of how we should treat people who are feeling persecution or war."

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