Suspended Tory minister Mark Field described a homeless charity in his constituency as a “a magnet for undesirables”, it has emerged.
In an email, leaked to the Guardian, Field called The Passage, which is an organisation which helps homeless and vulnerable people in Westminster, a “magnet for these undesirables to flood into Victoria”.
The foreign office minister was suspended by Theresa May after grabbing a climate change protester by the neck and pushing her out of a dinner at Mansion House last month.
Field, who lives in his Westminster constituency, was responding to an email from a neighbour who claimed that the level of antisocial behaviour in the area was linked to homelessness.
The resident had said: “The soup kitchens which act like a magnet for not just vagrants but also drug dealers with consequences that have been sufficiently highlighted by my neighbours.”
She added: ”Many of these problems are caused by people with mental health, alcohol and drug abuse issues who should not be there. Many of them are not British.”
Field replied to the email, copying in Westminster council figures and Michael Gove, the environment secretary.
He said: “I would totally endorse every word [of the email]”, before then criticising the local charity for their handling of the situation.
“It is high time that The Passage … started to take a little more responsibility for its ‘clients’,” he reportedly said.
Alex Cunningham, Labour’s shadow housing minister, hit out at the MP over the email.
“Mark Field’s comments on homeless people expose the Conservative Party’s attitude towards a growing problem in our society. This government will never fix the problem while they are privately describing homeless people as ‘undesirables’.
“He’s currently suspended as a minister for appearing to assault a protestor. Maybe he should use his new found spare time reflecting on his language as well as his behaviour.”