London Mayor Sadiq Khan has responded to concerns over a migrant encampment on Park Lane, where residents of the makeshift settlement have been accused of defecating on the streets and drinking in public.
The Mayor of London's office defended migration as a "huge strength" of the capital in correspondence with a concerned Londoner who had raised issues about the encampment.
The concerned Londoner wrote to the Mayor after their son noticed the encampment while attending school.
Rather than addressing the specific complaints, Khan's team emphasised London's tradition of welcoming migrants and providing "sanctuary to those who need it", prompting fierce criticism from political opponents.
Khan has said migrants 'enrich our society'
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Khan's office said: "The Mayor's position is that London has always been a city that welcomes migrants and provides sanctuary to those who need it.
"The Mayor is clear that we draw huge strength from the contribution of migrants and refugees who make London their home.
"They enrich our society, communities, culture and economy in myriad ways, making London a welcoming, diverse and truly global city and bringing cultural energy to Londoners' ever-evolving shared identity."
Khan's team also noted that the Mayor is "doing everything in his power to end rough sleeping in London by 2030".
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Khan encourages people who spot rough sleeping to report it to StreetLink.org.uk, though this appeared to offer little immediate solution to the concerns raised about the Park Lane encampment.
The response from the Mayor's office has drawn sharp criticism from London Tory leader Susan Hall.
She told the Express: "I don't think pooing in the street is the sort of contribution Londoners expect migrants to be making to our city.
"I am shocked by the gall of this man to somehow play down the antisocial behaviour gripping Park Lane as 'enrichment'."
Khan's office emphasised that London 'welcomes migrants'
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Hall described the situation as "disgusting" and "illegal," saying that it is "not what taxpayers expect to see in the centre of our city".
She added: "The fact that Sadiq Khan can't see that speaks volumes about his priorities.
"I've visited the site with Westminster Conservatives Leader Paul Swaddle, and that the Labour Council isn't acting on this either beggars belief.
"We can't keep on with Labour authorities passing the buck back and forth whilst residents have to suffer the consequences."
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