The Government is expected to announce plans on Wednesday to move migrants from hotels to barges and disused military barracks, as ministers seek to end a scheme costing £6.8 million a day. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick will announce that people arriving through unauthorised means will be housed at sites including RAF Wethersfield in Essex and RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, the former home of the Dambusters.
Government sources indicate each site could hold up to 2,000 migrants, initially for new arrivals rather than those currently in hotels. The Times reported that some 3,000 migrants could be moved to the two bases. Ministers are also considering using a barge capable of holding hundreds, with a government source saying such accommodation would have a “deterrent effect” on small boat arrivals.
Other options under consideration include disused cruise ships, empty holiday parks, and former student halls. On Tuesday, ministers discussed how European countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and Greece use large sites to house migrants. A Refugee Council report warned the Home Office may need nearly 1,500 hotels over three years at a cost of £20 billion if alternative accommodation is not found.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told his Cabinet that the current approach is unsustainable due to cost and local pressure. He also told the Commons Liaison Committee that children cannot be exempt from detention plans for Channel crossers to avoid creating a “pull factor”. Jenrick is expected to update MPs that the Government is on track to clear a backlog of around 92,000 asylum claims by year-end.
The Illegal Migration Bill, currently in Parliament, aims to stop asylum claims from unauthorised arrivals, including small boat crossers. It could lead to detention without bail or judicial review for 28 days before removal to a home country or a “safe third country” like Rwanda. The UN’s refugee agency has denounced the Bill as an effective “asylum ban”.
