The UK government faces backlash over plans to house up to 10,000 asylum seekers in former military sites, aiming to end costly asylum hotels by 2029.
The British government is under fire after a leaked Home Office memo revealed plans to house up to 10,000 undocumented migrants in 14 former military sites across the UK. This move supports Labour's commitment to phase out expensive asylum hotels by 2029, which currently cost billions annually. Confirmed locations include Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Army Training Camp in East Sussex, where migrants would be free to leave despite fencing. Defense officials anticipate strong local opposition due to proximity to residential areas. Protests erupted in Crowborough, with hundreds marching against housing 600 asylum seekers, citing safety concerns for children and communities. Similar fears are voiced in Inverness regarding women and girls. Government data shows over 103,000 migrants supported publicly, including 32,000 in hotels, as Channel crossings exceed 38,000 this year.
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RT reports: The initiative forms part of Labour’s pledge to end the use of taxpayer-funded asylum hotels by 2029, which currently cost billions of pounds annually. Marked “official sensitive,” the memo, first cited by the Sunday Times, stated that the Home Office has drawn up plans to resettle as many as 10,000 asylum seekers across the UK.
Under the proposed plan, migrants would be accommodated at former military facilities that have been upgraded and could begin receiving arrivals immediately.
So far, two locations have been confirmed by British media: Cameron Barracks in Inverness and the Crowborough Army Training Camp in East Sussex.
Although the camps would be fenced, the migrants would not be legally detained and would be free to leave at any time. At a similar site in Wethersfield, Essex, the Home Office currently provides a shuttle bus service to nearby towns seven days a week.
Defense officials acknowledged that the use of bases near residential areas is “problematic” and likely to face “fierce resistance” from locals, according to a source cited by the Daily Mail.
Over the weekend, hundreds of residents marched in Crowborough – a town of around 20,000 – to protest against the plan to house 600 asylum seekers at the disused base, carrying signs that read “Protect our children” and “Protect our community.”
“We just feel like we’ve been let down by the government,” resident Ben Grant told the media. Another protester said the government should “bring on the army to keep control,” while a young local girl told reporters that she no longer feels safe in her own community.
In Inverness, where the proposed accommodation is located a short distance from the city center, locals have also expressed concern, with many citing fears for “the safety of women and girls.”
According to government data, the Home Office is currently supporting around 103,000 migrants at public expense, including just over 32,000 housed in hotels. More than 1,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats over two days last week, bringing this year’s total to over 38,000 –surpassing the 36,816 recorded in all of 2024, according to GB News.