Following the devastating death of five-year-old Mohammed Munib Majeedi, an Afghan refugee who had only been in the UK a matter of days and tragically died falling out of a window at the Oyo Metropolitan Hotel in which his family were placed, I wrote to the Home Office with Sheffield’s other Labour MPs to demand an urgent and independent investigation. 

Our hearts go out to his family; supporting them at this terrible time must be everyone’s priority – and I have backed this appeal established by friends and colleagues. After fleeing the harrowing situation in Afghanistan they sought asylum and protection in our country and it is devastating that this young boy lost his life in this way and here in the UK’s first City of Sanctuary. 

Lessons must be learnt from this tragedy so it is never repeated. The Home Office have a duty of care for all those who they resettle under their programmes. We support the Refugee Council’s call for an urgent investigation into the circumstances of Mohammed’s death, which must be independently conducted to establish what was known by the Home Office about the suitability and safety of this accommodation, and what procedures were followed before commissioning its use for vulnerable families. 

You can read our letter here.