SIAN BERRY, the Green Party candidate for London mayor says that she will not work with immigration enforcement if she is elected this May.

Last year, it was widely reported that migrants who slept rough could be deported under news laws that came into force on December 1.

However, Berry claims that any services under her remit as mayor would not share information about migrants with the Home Office for the purposes of immigration enforcement.

As homelessness services come under the mayor’s remit, this could protect some of the capital’s most vulnerable – those without papers sleeping rough.

According to anti-poverty group Trust for London, half of rough sleepers in the city are not from the UK.

Berry said: “I will work with Londoners to build an anti-racist city, where every single Londoner is at home and valued.

“Hostile environment policies have tried to turn all of us into immigration officers, and forced public servants, homeless outreach workers and landlords to hand over private data on our fellow citizens, but I can’t accept becoming a tool of any racist Home Office agenda if I am elected.”

Berry, who is currently a member of the London Assembly claims that she will campaign to end immigration enforcement measures in education, policing and healthcare.

She also feels the right to rent policy turns landlords into immigration officers.

Under the policy, landlords must check that their tenants can legally stay in the UK.

Other policies included in Berry’s manifesto are a dedicated action plan to help regularise young citizens status and fighting government policies which discriminate against the Windrush generation.

Her manifesto also contains a commitment to rolling back stop and search and stopping the use of section 60.

Green Party Assembly member candidate Benali Hamdache said: “As a person of colour living in London, I see two sides to this city. One which is open, inclusive and one of the most proudly diverse cities on earth. But there’s also bigotry, institutional racism, and discriminatory policing. 

“Greens have always led the way in standing up for refugee and migrant rights. We’ll keep fighting this Government’s racist policies which divide our capital.”

A diverse set of candidates

London’s mayoral elections are expected to take place on May 6 this year.

There are a number of non-white candidates for the position, which was held by current prime minister Boris Johnson before Sadiq Khan was elected in 2016.

Khan, from the Labour party is running for a second term.

Shaun Bailey, the most prominent black candidate is running for the Conservative party.

Mandu Reid, from the Women’s Equality Party is also running. She claims to be the first person of colour to lead a UK political party.

Winston McKenzie is a former Celebrity Big Brother contestant who is running for the Unity in Action party, which he founded.

Drillminister is a rapper, popular for highlighting the violent rhetoric used by politicians. He is running as an independent candidate.

Nims Obunge, who is also running as an independent candidate is a pastor trying to tackle knife crime in his local community.

Valerie Brown is running as part of the Burning Pink party which wants to replace government with citizen decision-making.

Other candidates include Luisa Porritt, Kam Balayev, Piers Corbyn, Count Binface, Peter Gammons, David Kurten, Farah London, Charlie Mullins, Rosalind Readhead and Brian Rose.