The Government is set to unveil plans to move asylum seekers from hotels to army barracks on disused military bases as Sir Keir Starmer battles to get a grip on Britain’s spiralling migrant crisis, with newly appointed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expected to announce the policy within days.
The controversial move comes just days after the Home Office successfully overturned a High Court injunction granted to Epping Forest District Council to stop the Bell Hotel being used to house illegal migrants. The council had its application to appeal the case to the Supreme Court rejected with “no reasons given”, after Home Office lawyers argued the rights of asylum seekers were more important than those of the local authority at the Court of Appeal.
On the new Home Secretary’s first day in office on Saturday, 1,096 migrants illegally crossed the Channel onto British shores, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing the former justice secretary. The surge pushed the total number of illegal arrivals this year to more than 30,000, significantly higher than the same period last year.
Military Sites to Replace Hotel Accommodation
Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed on Sunday that officials are examining a range of military sites to help end the use of hotels for asylum accommodation. Speaking on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Healey said his department would “play our part” in ending asylum hotel use before the Government’s target date of 2029.
What you are seeing from Keir Starmer now is this isn’t just a job for the Home Office, it’s an all of government effort,” the Defence Secretary stated. Officials are also considering “non-military” accommodation, though Healey did not provide further details about these alternative sites.
Currently, only two of Britain’s disused military bases are being used to accommodate illegal migrants. The Napier Barracks in Kent and the MDP Wethersfield in Essex were opened by the previous Conservative Government, who faced significant backlash from pro-migrant organisations for the move. Napier Barracks is due to be returned to the Ministry of Defence in September 2025, whilst Wethersfield’s capacity has recently been increased to house up to 800 single adult male asylum seekers.
Labour’s Policy U-Turn
The policy represents a significant reversal for Labour, who had previously criticised such accommodation arrangements. In 2023, then-Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper labelled plans to open the former military bases as “an admission of failure” on illegal migration policy. Now Foreign Secretary, Cooper has been moved from the Home Office as part of Starmer’s sweeping Cabinet reshuffle following Angela Rayner’s resignation.
One source close to Ms Mahmood told The Telegraph: “Her position is going to be ‘nothing is off the table’. We know the big problems that we face.” Another government source added: “Bringing down net migration and tackling illegal migration is one of the public’s key priorities and it’s one of our key priorities. Shabana’s appointment is significant. It shows how seriously Keir takes securing our borders.”
The Prime Minister has reportedly instructed Home Office staff he wants to see the end of asylum hotel use before the Government’s target date of 2029. Currently, just over 32,000 asylum seekers are living in hotels whilst their claims are processed, representing around a third of those in taxpayer-funded accommodation at a cost of over £8 million per day.
Bell Hotel Legal Battle
The Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn Epping Forest District Council’s injunction has set a significant precedent for future challenges. Lord Justice Bean, sitting with Lady Justice Nicola Davies and Lord Justice Cobb, ruled that Mr Justice Eyre had made “a number of errors of principle” in granting the original injunction.
The judges warned that piecemeal injunctions by local planning authorities could have a “cumulative impact”, shifting the burden of housing asylum seekers to other areas and potentially incentivising further violent protests. The court noted that protests had operated as a “trigger” for the council’s application, with counsel for Epping admitting this during proceedings.
The Bell Hotel in Bell Common, Epping, operated by Somani Hotels Ltd, is currently accommodating 138 asylum seekers under a Home Office contract. The site had become a flashpoint for demonstrations after an asylum seeker staying there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, charges he denies and will face trial for later in August.
Germany Deal on Horizon
Britain is reportedly nearing a deal with Germany for a new “one in, one out” scheme after signing a similar arrangement with France just weeks ago. The French agreement allows for the partial return of some small boat migrants, though ministers have said it will be weeks before any returns take place. Since the deal came into force, more than 4,500 migrants have made the illegal crossing.
The Telegraph reports that negotiations with Germany are at an advanced stage, though details remain scarce. Critics have pointed out that at current rates, it would take a decade to return just this year’s arrivals under such schemes.
Home Office Shake-Up
The Prime Minister ordered an overhaul of Home Office staff on Saturday, axing the border security minister Dame Angela Eagle and swapping out two junior ministers in the department. Former policing minister Dame Diana Johnson was moved to the Department for Work and Pensions, whilst former industry minister Sarah Jones will become policing minister, a brief she held in opposition.
Mike Tapp, the Dover MP from Labour’s 2024 intake, and Alex Norris will also join Mahmood’s new-look team as the Government seeks to tighten its grip on immigration policy. Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones denied the Government was in crisis, insisting Sir Keir now has the “strongest team” in place around the Cabinet table.
Opposition Response
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who last month unveiled his mass deportation plan including housing illegal migrants at detention centres in disused RAF bases, has faced criticism from Shadow Home Secretary Robert Jenrick. Jenrick suggested Farage’s measures were not tough enough, saying illegal migrants should be housed in “rudimentary prisons, not holiday camps”.
Farage’s proposals also included a pledge to take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights and replace it with a British Bill of Rights. In her new role, Mahmood will be leading a review into how foreign criminals exploit the ECHR to block their deportations, having previously signalled a willingness to look at human rights reform within domestic law.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch responded to the Bell Hotel ruling by claiming Sir Keir Starmer “puts the rights of illegal immigrants above the rights of British people. She urged Conservative councillors seeking similar injunctions to “KEEP GOING!” despite the Court of Appeal’s decision.
Charity Concerns
Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon said that whilst the government was successful in its appeal over the Bell Hotel, the reality of using hotels to house asylum seekers is “untenable”. He stated: “Waiting until 2029 to end their use is no longer an option. As long as hotels remain open, they will continue to be flashpoints for protests, fuelling division and leaving people who have fled war and persecution feeling unsafe.”
More than 70 frontline support groups, human rights charities and racial justice organisations have called on the Government to pledge a total end to housing people seeking asylum in military barracks. An open letter to the Home Secretary demands the immediate closure of MDP Wethersfield, despite a recent High Court ruling that vulnerable people were held unlawfully at the base in conditions which did serious damage to their mental health.
What Happens Next
The new policy announcement is expected within days, with dozens of asylum hotels set to close as their residents are moved to military accommodation. The scale of the challenge facing Mahmood was illustrated on her first day in office, when French authorities said 24 people were rescued whilst trying to cross the Channel in addition to those who successfully made the journey.
With protests continuing outside asylum accommodation and police resources stretched, the Government faces pressure to act quickly. Essex Police have warned that prolonged deployments drain resources across the district, whilst parent groups near the Bell Hotel have raised safety concerns about the proximity to schools.
As weather conditions remain favourable for Channel crossings, the new Home Secretary faces an immediate test of her promise that “nothing is off the table” in tackling the crisis that has seen over 180,000 migrants cross the Channel in small boats since 2018.
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Image Credit:
Keir Starmer in Northern Ireland (8 July 2024) — photo by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, OGL 3.0
