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| UK asylum: Government outlines plan to cut migrant hotel use | UK asylum: Government outlines plan to cut migrant hotel use |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Three sites are to be repurposed to accommodate migrants and cut down on the use of hotels. | Three sites are to be repurposed to accommodate migrants and cut down on the use of hotels. |
| Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said ex-military bases in Lincolnshire and Essex, plus another site in East Sussex, could house "several thousand". | Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said ex-military bases in Lincolnshire and Essex, plus another site in East Sussex, could house "several thousand". |
| The government is "exploring the possibility" of using ferries but no firm decision has been taken, he said. | The government is "exploring the possibility" of using ferries but no firm decision has been taken, he said. |
| Labour shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the announcement was "an admission of failure" on asylum policy. | Labour shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the announcement was "an admission of failure" on asylum policy. |
| The plans are likely to meet local opposition and have been criticised by MPs whose constituencies are impacted, with one Conservative warning the government a legal challenge would be launched. | |
| Mr Jenrick told the Commons "the sheer number of small boats have overwhelmed the asylum system" and said the government will "not elevate the wellbeing of illegal migrants above the British people". | Mr Jenrick told the Commons "the sheer number of small boats have overwhelmed the asylum system" and said the government will "not elevate the wellbeing of illegal migrants above the British people". |
| "Accommodation for migrants should meet essential living needs and nothing more, because we cannot risk becoming a magnet for the millions of people who are displaced and seeking better economic prospects," he added. | |
| Mr Jenrick said the three new sites will help reduce the need to rely on private hotels but conceded that "these sites on their own will not end the use of hotels overnight". | Mr Jenrick said the three new sites will help reduce the need to rely on private hotels but conceded that "these sites on their own will not end the use of hotels overnight". |
| The government says £6.2m a day is being spent on hotels for migrants and areas with high concentrations of people face a strain on local services. | The government says £6.2m a day is being spent on hotels for migrants and areas with high concentrations of people face a strain on local services. |
| Mr Jenrick said new funding will be made available for local authorities to help deal with the cost of the new sites, without providing further details. | Mr Jenrick said new funding will be made available for local authorities to help deal with the cost of the new sites, without providing further details. |
| Watch: The BBC's Nick Johnson visited RAF Wethersfield in early March | |
| Watch: The BBC's Nick Johnson visited RAF Wethersfield in early March | |
| He also revealed Catterick Garrison, which is located in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's constituency, is being assessed for suitability as a potential accommodation site. | He also revealed Catterick Garrison, which is located in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's constituency, is being assessed for suitability as a potential accommodation site. |
| The BBC understands the government has already secured the necessary planning changes needed to repurpose military sites in Lincolnshire and Essex, and both could be used to house people who enter the country illegally within weeks. | The BBC understands the government has already secured the necessary planning changes needed to repurpose military sites in Lincolnshire and Essex, and both could be used to house people who enter the country illegally within weeks. |
| Mr Jenrick did not name the individual sites during his Commons statement but their locations have previously been reported. | |
| Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has previously criticised plans to house people at the base near the village of Wethersfield in his Essex constituency of Braintree. | Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has previously criticised plans to house people at the base near the village of Wethersfield in his Essex constituency of Braintree. |
| He said the site was "inappropriate" because it was remote and had limited transport infrastructure. | He said the site was "inappropriate" because it was remote and had limited transport infrastructure. |
| Former home secretary Priti Patel, who represents a neighbouring constituency, also questioned the site's suitability in the Commons. | |
| Use of RAF Scampton - home of the Dambusters squadron during World War Two - near to the village of Scampton in Lincolnshire could trigger a legal challenge. | |
| Sir Edward Leigh, the Tory MP for the area, criticised the choice as a "thoroughly bad idea" and said the local authority would launch an immediate judicial review. | |
| A deal had been agreed in March to allow West Lindsey District Council to purchase the base from the Ministry of Defence as part of a £300m regeneration project of the site for commercial activity, heritage, tourism and research. | A deal had been agreed in March to allow West Lindsey District Council to purchase the base from the Ministry of Defence as part of a £300m regeneration project of the site for commercial activity, heritage, tourism and research. |
| How many people cross the Channel in small boats? | How many people cross the Channel in small boats? |
| How is the UK stopping Channel crossings? | How is the UK stopping Channel crossings? |
| Bexhill and Battle MP Huw Merriman identified the East Sussex site as Northeye near Bexhill, which has formerly housed an RAF property, a prison and a training centre. | |
| Government sources say each site will have the capacity to house between 1,500 and 2,000 migrants, and initially are more are likely to be used for new arrivals rather than to rehouse people currently in hotels. | |
| Speaking to the BBC before the announcement, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accused the government of "going after headlines" while failing to solve the problem of people arriving in small boats. | Speaking to the BBC before the announcement, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accused the government of "going after headlines" while failing to solve the problem of people arriving in small boats. |
| The BBC understands more than 51,000 people are being housed in 395 hotels currently. | The BBC understands more than 51,000 people are being housed in 395 hotels currently. |
| Mr Sunak told his cabinet on Tuesday that the cost of the current approach and pressure it put on local areas was not sustainable, according to No 10. | Mr Sunak told his cabinet on Tuesday that the cost of the current approach and pressure it put on local areas was not sustainable, according to No 10. |
| At a Commons liaison committee, the prime minister said children cannot be exempted from plans to detain people who cross the Channel in small boats to prevent the creation of a "pull factor". | |
| It comes as the government's asylum proposals laid out in the Illegal Migration Bill are being debated in Parliament. | It comes as the government's asylum proposals laid out in the Illegal Migration Bill are being debated in Parliament. |
| The legislation aims to stop migrants claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive through unauthorised means, by crossing the English Channel in small boats. | The legislation aims to stop migrants claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive through unauthorised means, by crossing the English Channel in small boats. |
| People could be detained without bail or judicial review for 28 days before being removed to their home country or a safe third country like Rwanda. | People could be detained without bail or judicial review for 28 days before being removed to their home country or a safe third country like Rwanda. |
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| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Calais migrant crisis | Calais migrant crisis |
| Home Office | Home Office |
| Refugees and asylum seekers | Refugees and asylum seekers |
| RAF Scampton | RAF Scampton |
| Migration | Migration |