The SNP Housing Secretary faced accusations of being 'in denial' yesterday after denying any link between migration and housing shortages. Màiri McAllan, tipped as a future SNP leader, stated she would 'never' blame migration for housing pressures and argued that Scotland has 'too few' migrants.
Political Reactions
The Scottish Conservatives said the remarks showed how 'out of touch' the Nationalists have become, while Reform UK Scotland labelled her position 'madness'. Ms McAllan made her comments on BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show during a discussion on immigration, a top three concern for voters in next month’s election.
McAllan's Defence
She said migration was 'necessary for our economy, for our hospitality sector, health and social care and our business', while difficulties had been 'inflamed' and 'exploited' by Reform UK. She added: 'There’s no doubt there’s housing pressure. I have always, as Housing Secretary, been absolutely clear that migration and housing are two separate policies. I will never, ever blame migration for housing pressures.' Instead, she blamed a 'perfect storm of things' including economic conditions depressing construction and the cost of living.
Reform UK's Challenge
Reform candidate Thomas Kerr told her: 'You cannot say that migration and housing are not similar issues. In Glasgow, the latest figures are 9,334 people who are homeless – 65 per cent of them are illegal migrants. So to say that you cannot put those two issues in the same boat, I think, is madness.' He accused the SNP of focusing on building agencies rather than homes.
Home-Building Targets Under Scrutiny
Ms McAllan also repeatedly refused to confirm if the SNP would meet its home-building targets. The party promised 110,000 affordable homes from 2022 to 2032 but is only a third of the way there.
Local Connection Rule Controversy
The row emerged as the Tories vowed to revive the 'local connection' rule, which allows councils to turn away homeless applications from people without ties to the area. The SNP axed it in 2022, calling it a 'barrier to accessing homelessness services'. At that time, five per cent of applications were from outside the council area; that figure has now almost tripled to 13 per cent. Between April and September last year, eight per cent of homelessness applicants – 1,420 out of 17,920 – had no connection to any part of Scotland at all.
Impact of Policy Changes
A key factor has been a surge in refugees coming to Scotland, particularly Glasgow, due to generous homelessness rules. Alongside ending the local connection rule, the SNP also axed the priority need test in 2012. English councils still prioritise homeless cases in need, such as families and pregnant women, but in Scotland all cases are treated equally, making it more attractive to single men. This has led to refugees made homeless in London, Liverpool, Manchester, and other parts of the UK moving to Glasgow.
Glasgow's Financial Strain
Glasgow’s SNP leader Susan Aitken last year warned the city faced a £90 million budget gap, about £66 million of it 'homelessness overspend' arising from 'the pressure of the mass processing of people who are refugees already in the city and then exacerbated by people travelling from other parts of the UK', for which she blamed the UK Government.
Conservative and Labour Criticism
Tory candidate Stephen Kerr said: 'The SNP’s reckless open-door immigration policy has made Glasgow a magnet for asylum seekers. Màiri McAllan’s out-of-touch remarks confirmed her and the SNP are in a state of denial about the pressures illegal immigration is putting on Scotland’s public services.' He added that the suspension of the local connection rule led to an influx of immigrants, increasing demand for social housing. 'The Scottish Conservatives would reinstate the local connection rule immediately to ease Glasgow’s housing crisis.' Scottish Labour’s Michael Marra added: 'Màiri McAllan and the SNP are in denial about the housing emergency they have created. People across Scotland are paying the price for SNP failures on housing.'
