In response to today’s Spending Review announcement from the Chancellor, Stephen Hale, Chief Executive of Refugee Action, said:

“Just a few short weeks ago Sajid Javid vowed to ‘put rockets under’ a programme to increase spending on English language classes. Yet in today’s Spending Review this government has failed at the first hurdle by not providing additional funding. The last decade has seen a cut in real terms of 60%. Ministers are abysmally failing refugees who just want to be productive members of our communities.

“Refugees desperately want to learn but instead they continue to face long waiting times for classes, inadequate hours and a lack of childcare which means that parents are often unable to take part in classes. All of this leads to isolation, loneliness and an inability to get jobs. This government is denying people the chance to rebuild their lives and be an active part of society.”