Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has criticized the Government’s plans to use barges and disused military bases to house asylum seekers, saying it is “absolutely evidence of failure” to address the backlog of asylum claims. The Government has announced plans to accommodate migrants at several RAF sites and a former prison, as well as a barge docked off the Dorset coast, in a bid to find alternative accommodation to the hotels which are costing £2.3 billion a year. However, Sir Keir believes that ministers should instead focus on measures to prevent small boats crossing the Channel and tackling the backlog of claims.
The current situation in the asylum system is overwhelming, with around 51,000 migrants currently housed in hotels while awaiting the processing of their claims. The Government hopes to start housing migrants on barges “as quickly as possible,” but Sir Keir argues that this is not a solution to the problem. Transport minister Richard Holden has reassured that the barges will provide a safe and secure environment for asylum seekers while their claims are processed, and that services such as medical facilities will be on site.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (Via Keir Starmer/Twitter)
The decision to use RAF Scampton, formerly the home of the Red Arrows and the 617 “Dambusters” Squadron, has sparked fierce local opposition, with West Lindsey District Council launching legal action against the Home Office. The authority is concerned that the proposals will affect plans to deliver a £300 million regeneration programme. Sir Keir has called on ministers to “reverse their decision” and not to “drive a coach and horses through a really important initiative for investment, for jobs, of tech jobs in an area that desperately needs them”.
As the Government continues to struggle to address the backlog of asylum claims, Sir Keir believes that the focus should be on preventing small boats crossing the Channel and processing claims more efficiently. He points out that only 1% of those who arrived via small boats last year had their asylum claims processed, and that the Government’s solution is to “put all these people on planes and ships and chuck them somewhere else.”
