Starmer Turns To Army Bases To End Costly Asylum Hotel Chaos

Starmer Turns To Army Bases To End Costly Asylum Hotel Chaos

Hundreds of asylum seekers will be moved into military barracks as Sir Keir Starmer scrambles to end Britain’s multi-billion-pound reliance on hotels — a system now branded a national disgrace.

Two sites — Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Camp in East Sussex — are being fast-tracked to house around 900 migrants by the end of next month, according to The Times. Ministers are also eyeing disused industrial land and temporary sites as Starmer orders officials to “accelerate” efforts to shut down asylum hotels before the next election.

The Prime Minister has made closing the £15 billion hotel system a political priority amid growing public anger and frequent protests outside migrant accommodations. Around 32,000 asylum seekers are still living in hotels — down from a peak of 56,000 in 2023, but up 2,500 from last year.

A damning Home Affairs Committee report on Monday accused the Home Office of “flawed contracts” and “incompetent delivery,” saying it relied on hotels as “go-to solutions.” Starmer, fuming over the findings, blamed the Tories: “I can’t tell you how frustrated and angry I am that we’ve been left with a mess as big as this.”

The Home Office said it is “furious” at the scale of illegal migration and vowed to “close every asylum hotel,” insisting all new sites will meet health and safety standards.

Two former military bases — Wethersfield in Essex and Napier Barracks in Kent — are already housing migrants under Tory-era plans, but Labour wants to expand that model to cut costs and ease community tensions.

Key Takeaways:

• Starmer to use army barracks for 900 asylum seekers by next month.

• £15 billion hotel system slammed as “flawed” and “incompetent.”

• Government vows to end asylum hotels before next election.

Source: BBC