Why is the government trying to house asylum seekers in disused military bases?

It is the type of proposal we have heard all too often before, writes Andrew Grice

Rishi Sunak is bringing forward proposals to use the Catterick Garrison barracks in his North Yorkshire constituency (PA)

The government has announced proposals for asylum seekers to be housed at former military bases, in order to cut the £2.3bn-a-year bill for keeping them in hotels.

Under the plans, laid out by Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, migrants will be housed at RAF Wethersfield in Essex, RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire and the grounds of a former prison in Bexhill, East Sussex. Rishi Sunak is “bringing forward proposals” to use the Catterick Garrison barracks in his North Yorkshire constituency.

Jenrick said children would not be sent to this accommodation. “These sites are going to be used for single adult males and will act as a serious deterrent to those people coming to this country,” he told the Commons.

But charities have warned the bases are “entirely inappropriate” for people who have fled war. Alex Fraser, the British Red Cross's UK director for refugee support, said: “Military sites, by their very nature, can re-traumatise people who have fled war and persecution. These sites may also put vulnerable people at risk of exploitation.”

Why is the government doing this?

Ministers argue that the £6.2m a day being spent on hotels for migrants is unsustainable. It is believed that more than 51,000 people are currently housed in 395 hotels, often in seaside resorts. Jenrick said it was “undoubtedly in the national interest” to reduce the spending of “eye-watering amounts accommodating illegal migrants” and to prevent a “pull factor for economic migrants” taking hold.

Ministers are worried about a strain on local services and opposition from local residents in some areas where hotels are used. Critics, including the opposition parties, claim that the government’s efforts should focus on reducing the 160,000-strong backlog of asylum claims. They pointed out that the 4,900 places announced amounted to a 10th of the number living in hotels.

How have Conservative MPs reacted?

Not well. With the exception of Sunak, few seem to want to see asylum seekers sent to their constituencies. James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, has warned that Wethersfield in his Braintree constituency is not “appropriate for asylum accommodation”. Tory-controlled Braintree District Council plans to apply to the High Court for an interim injunction to stop the move. Other local authorities may follow suit.

Huw Merriman, the transport minister, said voters in his Bexhill and Battle constituency will have “great concern” about plans to use the Northeye former prison. Sir Edward Leigh, a former minister, whose Gainsborough seat includes Scampton, said “this thoroughly bad decision … is not based on good governance but the politics of trying to do something.”

Will asylum seekers be housed in cruise ships or on barges?

Not yet, if at all. Jenrick stopped short of announcing it in his Commons statement but did say the government is exploring the possibility. A Whitehall source insisted “nothing has been bought” and there are “no barges or ferries”.

Haven’t we heard this one before?

Yes. Sunak suggested during last summer’s Tory leadership contest that the government needed “a range of existing and novel solutions, including the use of cruise ships”. However, he rejected the idea on cost grounds when he was chancellor, The Independent has disclosed. Research by the Home Office during the pandemic concluded that cruise ships and other vessels could be more expensive than hotels, and raised significant practical, legal and ethical issues.

Are ships already being used?

Yes. The Scottish government moved more than 1,000 refugees, including children, from Ukraine onto the cruise ship MS Victoria docked in Edinburgh last year. But Alex Salmond, Scotland’s former first minister, believes the idea did not work when it was tried previously and said the UK government should learn lessons from that. Cruise ships are used in the Netherlands.

Why was the plan to use military bases announced now?

Ministers are keen to show they are “getting a grip” on immigration after Sunak pledged to “stop the boats”. Privately, they are worried that voters do think the Tories have “taken back control” of Britain’s borders since Brexit. Critics say that Tory rhetoric generates big headlines but little change on the ground.

Tory strategists believe immigration is Labour’s weak spot, though some opinion polls suggest Labour is trusted more on the issue.

It is perhaps no coincidence that the plan to scale down the use of hotels was announced ahead of local elections in England on 4 May. The Liberal Democrats launched their campaign on Wednesday and Labour will follow on Thursday.