Chris Philp, a former councillor in Camden, during an appearance on Question Time

ASYLUM seekers’ lives are being put at risk by irresponsible and inaccurate reporting, a charity has warned.

A hotel which houses refugees while they wait for their claims to be processed was splashed across the websites of right-wing national newspapers last week, as reporters, alongside shadow home secretary Chris Philp, claimed to have caught its residents “illegally” working as delivery drivers.

But Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz, head of advocacy at Praxis, a charity which provides legal advice to some of those staying in the hotel, said that the allegations were false and the reporting could lead to violence.

She told the Tribune: “Less than a year after racist riots which saw asylum hotels set on fire, Chris Philp should know better than to share footage revealing their locations. This reckless moves puts lives at risk.”

She added: “Contrary to his claims, some hotel residents may have the right to work – for instance if they had recently been granted refugee status.

“Most, however, are forced to wait months or years in poverty due to Home Office delays. This harms both asylum seekers and the economy.”

Praxis, as well as Islington councillors, have long been arguing for a change in the Right to Work for asylum seekers, who are currently given £8.86 per week.

In a letter to Dame Angela Eagle, the Minister for Border Security and Asylum, last month, councillors Sheila Chapman and Heather Staff appealed for asylum seekers to be allowed to work six months after submitting their claim.

Ily, who arrived in the UK eight months ago after fleeing the Taliban, said that he had been in his room when the raid happened, but later saw clips on TikTok on YouTube.

He said: “What hurts the most is reading comments on social media where people say their taxes are being wasted on asylum seekers.

“It breaks me. We’re not here to take – we’re here because we had no choice. We are not enjoying this life, we are surviving it. I want to work and pay taxes, just like everyone else. I want my taxes to one day support the same people who now say we are a burden.”

Ily was trained as an IT professional back in Afghanistan, and was pursued by the Taliban for teaching IT to girls.

He told the Tribune: “I was doing good deeds, and that was seen as an extremist idea, and then you come here and people don’t even accept you as a human.

“I don’t want to depend on anyone. Since I was born and raised in Afghanistan, I never took a single penny for free and I don’t want to do that here either.

“This is the first time in my life that I’ve had to accept free accommodat­ion, only because of the security risks I faced.

“And even though the accommodation might seem good from the outside, to me, it feels like a prison. All we do is sit, day after day, staring at the walls fighting depression, trauma, and anxiety.”

We contacted Mr Philp and he said: “This is nonsense. Nothing in my footage identified the hotel. Praxis should reserve their confected indignation for the waves of illegal immigration Labour is presiding over and the well-documented wide scale illegal working taking place on platforms such as Deliveroo.

“People smugglers openly advertise this as a reason to come to the UK. Women and girls are also put at risk by unknown illegal immigrants making deliveries to their homes late at night.

“Finally, Praxis should know that asylum seekers such as those in the hotel are not entitled to work as delivery drivers, even after a year. Those granted asylum move on from the hotel in a matter of a few days. There is evidence of widespread login-sharing to circumvent the illegal working rules.”

The Home Office was approached for comment but did not respond before the Tribune went to press.