Chris Philp and Zak Garner-Purkis speak to a migrant at the camp. (Image: Jeremy Selwyn)
Labour’s migrant shame was laid bare as a senior politician was harangued and abused at an illegal camp. Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, was branded “racist” and subjected to an angry tirade inside the squalid tented village next to one of the UK’s most exclusive addresses.
Around 30 people - mainly eastern European migrants - have been living in the ramshackle “shanty town” - one of many to have sprung up across the country. The ugly scenes came as the Tory MP raised concerns that the Government is going to water down police powers to clear out illegal migrant camps. Speaking exclusively to the Daily Express, Mr Philp said: “What concerns me, is the Government are about to change the law - they're about to repeal legislation that gives the police powers to move people on, and the Government, Angela Rayner is going to repeal that legislation imminently without putting in any replacement legislation.”
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READ MORE: Moment police check migrants at illegal camp are OK 3 weeks after court order
Migrants at the Camp in Park Lane. (Image: Jeremy Selwyn)
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The dirty camp has been in London's Park Lane, on and off, for the past seven years.
Transport for London (TfL) took enforcement action five weeks ago, but most of the camp remained this evening (Wednesday) despite some tents being taken down.
Standing just yards away from where the migrants defecate in the grass and bushes, Mr Philp praised this newspaper’s efforts to press the Capital’s Labour Mayor into taking action.
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“Maybe finally, Sadiq Khan decided to take action, only after the Express exposed this, and only after they got wind I was coming down. I think the public would expect enforcement action against this kind of encampment to be taken quickly, not after five weeks.
“It shouldn't take the shadow Home Secretary and the Daily Express to get them to basically do their job.”
He added: “This is an area where tourists come. It's obviously going to be putting off tourists, it’s causing noise disorder. They’re quite aggressive, as we saw a minute ago. The Mayor of London should be moving them on more quickly.”
Earlier this year, dozens of mainly homeless migrants in Manchester were finally evicted from a city centre camp set up a year ago - only to erect a new tent city just 150 yards away.
Fed-up residents and business owners say the system has failed when authorities are forced to go to the courts before evictions can take place, leading to costs and delays, only for tent dwellers to set up new camps nearby.
The encampments are among a growing number of squalid makeshift settlements springing up across the UK and Ireland in the wake of a growing immigration and housing crisis.
Many of them are in busy city centres and tourist areas - including Birmingham, Bournemouth and Dublin - and are home to largely male populations, including a number of former refugees who have settled status but have been unable to find long-term housing.
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Others are believed to have travelled to the UK to join begging gangs exploited by organised criminal groups who force them to hand over their takings.
Before Mr Philp’s visit, migrants living in the camp were witnessed gambling with wads of cash while another threatened our reporter, hurling a chunk of wood at him. The money was quickly hidden when police, who were conducting hot weather “welfare checks,” arrived.
In May, TFL was granted a possession order to remove the camp, which is opposite the Hilton Hotel and yards from Hyde Park. The Metropolitan Police has been approached for comment.
TfL said it has been trying to resolve the issue "compassionately and safely".
A spokesperson said: "No one should be faced with sleeping rough on London’s streets. Park Lane is a busy part of the road network that is not a safe place for people to sleep rough, and our focus has always been on the safety and welfare of everyone involved.
"We have been working closely with Westminster City Council and other partners over many months to try to resolve the issue at Park Lane compassionately and safely."
Enver Soloman, CEO of the Refugee Council, said: “Nobody should be living on the streets in squalor there now. There’s rarely a simple or single reason for why people sleep rough. But an important driver of homelessness has been the asylum system.
“The Government must take action to improve the asylum system and carry our proud tradition forward into the future of providing sanctuary to those refugees who need it.”
A Westminster City councillor said Mr Khan’s failure to remove the camp was an "embarrassment".
Paul Fisher said: "It is a stain on the reputation of our city and an embarrassment to the capital that TfL, the mayor and Westminster are yet to remove this illegal camp.
"The delays just encourage future camps not just on Park Lane but across the city because fundamentally these people know the authorities will take months to take action."
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A Council spokesperson said: "We’ve always said that the central reservation of Park Lane is not a safe place for anybody to live, and we’re concerned about both the welfare of those sleeping there and the impact this site has on the local community.
"The antisocial behaviour associated with this encampment is unacceptable. The council is working with the police and other partners to clamp down on those who have gamed the system and welcome the Government’s announcement of new powers that may assist here."
The Mayor of London's office has been approached for comment.