As reported over the last few months, the controversial plans making landlords having to check the immigration status of all tenants, could be piloted in Brighton.

The MP for the constituency, Simon Kirby, wants the city to be the first to introduce the government’s “initiative” .

The reason that he wants to offer up his city is that he feels that it is unfair for lawful residents to lose out on housing to those who are living here illegally.

During the Immigration Bill Committee’s proceedings, Mr Kirby discussed the issue and proposed that Brighton and Hove should run one of the “pilots”. Critics have cited that the MP could be open to calls of “pandering to racism” and his plans did not recognise the main problems that had caused a major housing shortage.

At this present moment in time over 17,000 people are on the Council’s housing register.

Part of the bill’s remit is that landlords will have to make sure that any new tenants must prove that they are in the UK legally. All landlords will have to check identity documents and it would be a logistical nightmare as there are over 400 different types of European identity documents.

Mr Kirby said: “It isn’t fair that when there is pressure on housing supply, as there is in Brighton, lawful residents face competition from illegal migrants in the market.

“This problem needs to be addressed urgently.”

Green Party candidate for Brighton Kemptown,Davy Jones said the idea was “absurd”, that the housing shortage was being blamed on immigrants and that it was down to the lack of encouragement given to new builds.

He said: “They have restricted the ability of councils to build houses and forced them to sell off much of their housing stock under Right to Buy legislation. That’s why there is a housing shortage. To scapegoat immigrants is lazy and risks pandering to racism.”