UK military sites to house asylum seekers in Labour U-turn

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British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has ordered officials to identify former military sites to house hundreds of asylum seekers, in a sharp reversal of government policy as public anger grows over the use of migrant hotels.

Officials are considering using Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Barracks in East Sussex to house about 900 single men who have arrived in Britain on small boats and are awaiting asylum decisions.

This policy represents a radical shift in the position of the Labor government after it pledged in August to end the use of large military sites to shelter people.

At the end of June, about 32,000 people awaiting asylum decisions were housed in hotels, and they became the focus of protests across the country for two summers in a row. In July and August 2024, riots broke out in several towns and cities, while in recent months some demonstrations against immigration led to violent unrest.

The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, became the focus of protests this summer after Haddush Kibatu, an Ethiopian asylum seeker staying at the hotel, was accused and later convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and an adult woman.

The Home Office said on Tuesday it was “outraged” by the continued use of asylum hotels, adding that reallocating barracks for accommodation was a more cost-effective option.

The previous Conservative government initially began using former military sites to house asylum seekers in an attempt to deter new arrivals.

Labor has pledged to end the use of Napier Barracks, near Folkestone, and the former Royal Air Force base at Wethersfield in Essex to house refugees. Both sites remain in use.

Downing Street defended the government’s response to the migrant crisis, saying getting it under control was a “key issue” for public confidence.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “Military sites can provide appropriate security, health and luxury standards, and this is what we intend to provide, rather than luxury sites, as we have seen over recent years.”

Asked whether the costs of using the former barracks would be higher than using the hotels, they said: “Costs will vary from site to site, but our priorities are security and justice.”

Defense Secretary Luke Pollard told the BBC on Tuesday that the move “will enable us to relieve pressure on asylum hotels and close them at a faster rate.”

The number of clandestine small boat arrivals to the UK this year has exceeded 37,000, more than the 36,816 recorded in 2024. However, it has not reached the record level of more than 45,000 recorded in 2022.

The Interior Ministry said: “This government will close all asylum hotels.” “Work is well underway, offering more suitable sites to ease pressure on communities and reduce asylum costs.”

A report published by the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee on Monday condemned the government’s handling of the issue, saying the Home Office was wasting billions of pounds through “flawed contracts” on grossly unsuitable accommodation.

The Ministry of Interior indicated that the shift in policy came as a result of the Prime Minister’s instructions.

The previous government’s policy reflected the findings of a National Audit Office investigation in March 2024, which found, after including construction costs, that large sites such as military barracks were more expensive per person per night than hotels.

However, Alex Norris, the Home Secretary, earlier this month told the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee that the larger existing sites were the cheaper option.

He wrote that hotels cost an average of £144.98 per person per night, while Napier costs £108.58 per night, and Wethersfield £132. The relative remoteness of Wethersfield resulted in high transportation costs for this location.

Previous efforts to convert old military sites into accommodation for migrants have sparked local anger and concerns about the impact of the influx of people on local services, especially the provision of health care.

Cameron and Crowborough barracks previously housed people arriving under the UK’s contingency plan for those fleeing Afghanistan.

Angus MacDonald, the Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, told the BBC that although he supported the use of military barracks to house asylum seekers, he found the choice of the relatively central Cameron Barracks “a bit strange”.

“I strongly believed that the idea of ​​putting them in army camps was to get them out of the city and make them less of a problem for the locals,” he said.

Tuesday’s announcement comes after Chelmsford Prison on Friday mistakenly released Kibato instead of sending him to an immigration detention center before he was deported. He was re-arrested on Sunday.