The United Kingdom has announced plans to temporarily house asylum seekers in disused military bases, with future use of ferries and barges, in an effort to reduce hotel expenses, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said on Wednesday. He told MPs that the government intends to accommodate “several thousand” asylum seekers in repurposed barracks and portable buildings at two former Royal Air Force bases in southeast and eastern England, as well as at a separate site on private land in East Sussex. The government is also exploring the “possibility of accommodating migrants in vessels” such as ferries and barges to cut the £2.3 billion ($2.8 billion) annual cost of hotel accommodation.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping illegal Channel crossings a priority, and Jenrick argued that hotel accommodation encourages dangerous journeys. “These hotels take valuable assets from communities and place pressures on local public services,” he said, adding, “we must not elevate the wellbeing of illegal migrants above those of the British people.” He emphasized that migrant accommodation should meet only essential living needs, warning against becoming a “magnet for the millions of people who are displaced and seeking better economic prospects.”
The proposals have drawn criticism from charities and the Labour Party. Charities described the accommodation as “grossly inadequate,” while Labour’s shadow interior minister Yvette Cooper called the plans an “admission of failure.” Legal challenges may also arise, as local councils—some run by Conservative councillors—could contest the use of the airfields. The ferry and barge options remain further off; no vessels have been purchased yet, and a government source said they are part of the “direction of travel.” Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab referred to barges as “one possible option,” noting that hotel accommodation creates a “perverse incentive” for dangerous Channel crossings.
The Refugee Council expressed “deep concern,” calling the proposed sites “entirely unsuitable” for vulnerable men, women and children seeking safety. Enver Solomon, the charity’s chief executive, said, “We must ensure that people fleeing war, conflict and persecution can access safe, dignified, and appropriate accommodation while in the UK asylum system.” Amnesty International UK’s Steve Valdez‑Symonds added that asylum seekers “should be treated with basic human dignity, not corralled on barges or other grossly inadequate and isolated accommodation.” Sunak told his ministers at a weekly cabinet meeting that the cost of using hotels was unsustainable.
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