Campaigns Ending the Hostile Environment Right to Rent Open Letter Over 80 groups have written an open letter calling on MPs to scrap Right to Rent checks, a key plank of the Hostile Environment, and one which has been declared unlawful by the High Court following a claim brought by JCWI. The Government is appealing the decision, and wants to continue implementing a policy that has been found to cause racial discrimination. The signatories called on MPs to take their opportunity to create a humane immigration system that works for everyone, by voting to scrap Right to Rent checks and the Hostile Environment. You can take action too, by writing to your MP and telling them it's time to scrap the cruel Hostile Environment. Act now to scrap the Hostile Environment The letter is as follows: "Right to Rent checks are a key plank of the Hostile Environment for migrants, which Theresa May created as Home Secretary. This March, the High Court found that the scheme caused racial discrimination against British ethnic minorities and foreign nationals with a right to reside in the UK. JCWI succeeded in its claim, and the Court declared the scheme incompatible with fundamental human rights. Landlords, scared of making mistakes with complex immigration paperwork, have simply been taking the safest route: renting only to people able to produce a British passport or who “look and sound” British. It is an outrage that a Government policy is causing racial discrimination and forcing ethnic minorities into poorer and more exploitative housing by limiting their access to the housing market. But when presented with this damning court ruling, which states the scheme cannot be fixed or justified and must be scrapped to avoid human rights violations, Sajid Javid has refused to act. Instead, he is arguing that the Government should be allowed to cause racial discrimination against BAME groups and foreign nationals in pursuit of immigration control, even though the court ruling shows there is no evidence that the scheme works. This is deeply immoral. We are proud in the UK to have a tolerant society which regards all racism as unacceptable. The Government must not be encouraging racism to pursue Theresa May’s hostile environment. We need an immigration system that treats all of us with dignity and respect, not one where the ability of minority families to build a home is considered expendable. Sajid Javid has refused to act, but Parliament has an opportunity to create a fair, humane and evidence-based immigration system through the Immigration Bill. Parliamentarians must stand up for migrants’ rights by taking this chance to scrap the Right to Rent Checks and end the Hostile Environment.” The following 81 individuals and organisations signed the open letter: Satbir Singh Chief Executive JCWI Ake Achi Founder and Director Right 2 Work UK Andy Gregg Chief Executive Race on the Agenda Sian Summers-Rees Chief Officer City of Sanctuary Jabeer Butt Chief Executive Race Equality Foundation Bella Sankey Director Detention Action Nazek Ramadan Director Migrant Voice Philli Boyle Calais Manager Help Refugees Clare Moseley Founder Care4Calais Emma Harrison CEO Imix Dan Wilson Craw Director Generation Rent Lisa Doyle Policy Director Refugee Council Zrinka Bralo Chief Executive Migrants Organise Maike Bohn Co-Founder The 3 Million Sarah Mann Director Friends Families and Travellers Jilna Shah Interim CEO Migrants Rights Network Rosario Guimba-Stewart CEO Lewisham Refugee and Migrants Network Sophie Cartwright Policy Officer Jesuit Refugee Service Sinthia Arefin London Renters Union Peter Starkings Director Global Future Beth Wilson Director Bristol Refugee Rights Jumbo Chan Labour Councillor Labour Councillor Brent Cllr Una O’Halloran Labour Councillor Islington Executive Member for Community Development Cllr Sue Lukes Labour Councillor Labour Islington Migrant Champion Lisa Matthews Coordinator Right to Remain Guy Taylor Campaign Manager Global Justice Now Rt Revd Jonathan Clark Bishop of Croydon Churches' Refugee Network Omar Khan Director Runnymede Cllr Maurice Mcleod Labour Councillor Labour Councillor - Queenstown Battersea Zoe Gardner Another Europe Is Possible Cllr Shaista Aziz Labour Councillor for Rose Hill & Iffley Corey Stoughton Acting Director Liberty Cllr Daniel Stone Labour Councillor for Stroud Green Labour Councillor Cllr Ruth Gordon Labour Councillor Tottenham Hale Ward, Haringey. Labour Councillor Mel Steel Director Voices in Exile Lucy Nabijou Cordinator Haringey Welcome Pragna Patel Director Southall Black Sisters Dr Edie Friedman Executive Director JCORE Lucia Vinzon Director Indoamerican Refugee & Migrant Organisation Daf Viney Centre Manager Hackney Migrant Centre Yva Alexandrova-Meadway Policy and Campaigns Manager Consonant Rev’d Nigel Uden and Mr Derek Estill Moderators of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church Leila Zadeh Executive Director UKLGIG Adele Owen Director Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Jennifer Longford, Christopher Hill, David Mezzetti and Elena Isayev Board of Trustees Refugee Support Devon Jennie Geddes Director Family Refugee Support Project Cllr James Chiriyankandath Labour Councillor, Haringey Cllr Mike Hakata Labour Councillor, Haringey Niall mann Refugee and Migrant Centre Cllr Mark Blake Labour Councillor, Haringey Eiri Ohtani Project Director Detention Forum Revd Michaela Youngson "President of the Methodist Conference " Methodist Church Mr Bala Gnanapragasam Vice-President of the Methodist Conference Methodist Church Thousand 4 1000 Brighton Migrant Solidarity Celia Sands Director South London Refugee Association Maya Mailer Campaigns Director Asylum Matters Guppi Bola Interim Director MedAct Cllr Cleo Lake Green Councillor Green Party Cllr Kaltum Osman Rivers Green Councillor Green Party Jilna Shah Chief Executive Officer (Maternity Cover) Migrants Rights Network Illary Valenzuela-Oblitas Violence Against Women and Girls Policy Coordinator LAWRS Greens of Colour Dianna Nammi Executive Director IKWRO David Smith Policy Director RLA Dami Makinde Project Co-lead Let Us Learn, Just for Kids Law Dave Prentis General Secretary UNISON Paul Hook Head of Campaigns Refugee Action Latifa Akay Director of Education Maslaha Celia Clarke Director BID Emiliano Mellino Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) Asad Rehman Executive Director War on Want Bill Mackeith End Heathrow Immigration Detention Toni Soni Centre Director Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre Kamena Dorling Group Head of Policy and Public Affairs CORAM Kunle Olulode Director Voice 4 Change England Sandhya Sharma Group Director Safety4Sisters North West Deniz Uğur Director IMECE Women's Centre Inclusive Mosque Initiative CARAG Jamie Burton Chair Just Fair Elwaldo Romeo Chair Windrush Action Paul Parker Recording Clerk Quakers in Britain Arten Llazari CEO Refugee and Migrant Centre (Black Country and Birmingham) You can read the open letter, published by the Financial Times on 1 June 2019, here.