Vickers

Conservative MP for Stockton West Matt Vickers said in Parliament last week that Stockton Borough Council had "volunteered" to take in more asylum seekers and it left "huge numbers of lone men hanging around the town centre".

Responding, Labour's Lisa Evans said she was "extremely disappointed" by Vickers' comments.

Vickers said Stockton's asylum seekers were all housed near the town centre which caused challenges in accommodation, public services and integration, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Vickers, a shadow home office minister, said Stockton had "amongst the highest levels of asylum seekers per population in the entire country".

Deirdre Vickers, a sheriff’s department spokesperson, said she could not comment on pending litigation, as did a representative for the county court system.