//Contrary to the other posts, illegal immigrants and failed Asylum Seekers cannot claim any welfare benefits. £0. Zilch.//
Those arriving in rubber boats are not failed asylum seekers. Their claim for asylum has not been heard (and will not be for some considerable time). They are also not “illegal immigrants”. Although the UN Convention on the status of Refugees provides for them to be classed as such on a number of bases, the UK chooses not to do so.
This means they are entitled to accommodation. From ".gov.uk":
“You’ll be given somewhere to live if you need it. This could be in a flat, house, hostel or bed and breakfast.”
“You’ll get £39.63 for each person in your household. This will help you pay for things you need like food, clothing and toiletries.”
However, even failed asylum seekers are not left to live in the gutter as you suggest. From the same page:
If you’ve been refused asylum you’ll be given:
- somewhere to live
- £39.63 per person on a payment card for food, clothing and toiletries
You’ll get extra money to buy healthy food if you’re pregnant or a mother of a child under 3. The amount you get will depend on your situation.
All available here:
https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support/what-youll-get
So hardly “£0. Zilch”. This year some 8,000 people (that are known about) have arrived in the UK in rubber boats. So leaving aside the cost of accommodation (which, even at its lowest in barracks that are seemingly unsuitable for migrants but good enough for our troops, must be considerable) every one of them will cost the taxpayer £2,000 pa. So that's £16m, just for those who have arrived this year and who we know about. Every penny of that sum will have to be borrowed because the country has no money. So let’s get the facts straight before we begin to discuss how much this altruism does or does not cost.