‘I simply don’t recognise the picture that Sarah Pochin tries to paint of Runcorn. It’s not based on reality.’
Reform MP Sarah Pochin has been criticised for making claims about asylum seekers living in HMOs with “no evidence”.
In her maiden speech to Parliament in May, Pochin said there were a number of “illegal immigrants” in Runcorn and claimed that HMOs were “breeding grounds for organised crime gangs”.
However, Cheshire’s Labour Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Dan Price, said Cheshire Police had received “no evidence” to support her claims.
Cheshire Police also said it was “not aware of any widespread issues or concerns relating to homes of multiple occupation in the Runcorn area”.
Pochin has also claimed local people are “frightened to go out of their houses” because of the number of ‘illegal immigrants’ in the area. She also said Runcorn has “a real problem with women’s safety”.
In a joint statement, the Labour PCC and the Labour leader of Halton Borough Council, Mike Wharton, said they didn’t know where Pochin had got her information from and called on her to retract the comments.
In the statement, Wharton said: “Our communities deserve factual information, and we are here to provide that to them.
“Halton Borough Council stands willing to provide factual information to Mrs Pochin in order to assist her in her duties to advocate for and assist her constituents in Runcorn.”
Price said: “I simply don’t recognise the picture that Sarah Pochin tries to paint of Runcorn. It’s not based on reality.”
He added that the Runcorn and Helsby MP claims to have seen CCTV providing evidence of criminal activity, yet “no reports or evidence has been provided to Cheshire Police or to my office by Mrs Pochin”.
Pochin also claimed more asylum seekers are moving into social housing in Runcorn, and that it’s putting pressure on local services.
Councillor Andrea Wall, Executive Board Member for Community Safety, responded to Pochin’s comment, stating: “The claims made about the number and housing arrangements for asylum seekers in Runcorn are factually incorrect.”
“The people who previously lived in the hotel have been moved to another region. Government officials have also confirmed that there will be no further increase in Asylum Seeker numbers in Halton.”
Pochin remains defiant about the issue, but still hasn’t provided any proof.
In a statement, she said: “We’ve received first-hand accounts from those living next door, backed up by CCTV footage of late-night knife and drug crime, intimidating behaviour by gang members and unacceptable noise.
“Despite the PCC claiming to be unaware of this, which in itself is a concern, we have crime reference numbers from Cheshire Police.”
She claimed the response of Labour councillors in the area was “arrogance, dismissal, [and] silence”.
Pochin recently came under fire for asking Keir Starmer if he would ban the burqa “in the interests of public safety” at PMQs.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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