Lee Anderson slams city for giving asylum seekers free bus passes while locals pay

Lee Anderson said the strategy was an 'insult' to British taxpayers (Image: GETTY/Oxford Bus Company)

A strategy enabling asylum seekers to usage free autobus travel for which UK citizens are expected to fork retired £4.50 a time has been branded an “insult” by Reform UK MP Lee Anderson.

The aviator task provides escaped autobus day-passes to asylum seekers successful Oxford, enabling them to question wrong the city’s SmartZone.

Supported by Asylum Welcome, Citizens UK and Oxfordshire County Council, the inaugural aims to assistance asylum seekers be appointments, instrumentality classes, entree museums and libraries and integrate into the section community.

The Oxford Bus Company distributed the archetypal 120 escaped passes this week to asylum seekers surviving successful edifice accommodation - leaving Mr Anderson, the MP for Ashfield successful Nottinghamshire, profoundly unimpressed.

He told Express.co.uk: "This is an insult to British taxpayers.

Asylum seekers tin usage the passes connected buses successful Oxford (Image: Oxford Bus Company)

"When taxes are astatine an each clip precocious and the cost of living situation is being felt by everyone, we present spot asylum seekers getting escaped travel.

“British taxpayers should travel first. There is simply a elemental mode to halt the excess spending connected things similar this and hotels and that’s by stopping the boats erstwhile and for all.

“Successive Labour and Tory government’s person failed to get a grip of this issue.

"Only Reform UK are prepared to prime up and instrumentality the boats to France arsenic allowed nether UN Convention of Law astatine Sea.”

Oxford has a colonisation of conscionable implicit 160,000 (Image: Getty)

William Yarwood, media run manager astatine the TaxPayers’ Alliance, was besides highly sceptical astir the idea:

"Oxford residents volition beryllium driven circular the crook that amerciable immigrants are getting preferential treatment.

"While others person to wage for their autobus passes, asylum seekers are getting a escaped thrust acknowledgment to taxpayers' cash.

"Government ministers request to rapidly velocity up the asylum strategy and guarantee those that bash not beryllium present are removed.”

Bishop of Oxford Steven Croft, pictured with Queen Elizabeth II, backs the strategy (Image: Getty)

Speaking to the Oxford Mail, recipients person said the strategy has transformed their lives.

One, Habib, said: “I similar Oxford city, and I privation to marque my aboriginal successful Oxford.”

Another, Ghaniyat, added, “I volition ne'er hide this kindness for the remainder of my life. I admit it deeply.”

Bishop of Oxford, Steven Croft has spoken retired successful support, calling the strategy "a tangible motion of invited from our full community.”

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesperson told Express.co.uk: "Asylum seekers person conscionable £9 a week, which means they can't spend autobus fares.

The strategy besides enables entree to museums successful Oxford (Image: Getty)

"This is 1 tiny happening we tin bash enactment asylum seekers who are awaiting the result of their asylum claim. It volition alteration them to hole for enactment by accessing services and learning to accommodate to beingness successful Oxfordshire."

They added: “This volition beforehand and alteration integration and assistance the individuals successful question physique connections with section people.

"It would besides assistance them successful the longer word to go economically progressive and lend to the assemblage successful which they live.”

Asylum Welcome and the Oxford Bus Company person been approached for comment.