Information that the government is once again planning to house asylum seekers on military bases or even on closed ferries to end the use of hotels as accommodation has been met with dismay by activists who are calling for urgent action to end the “chaotic and inefficient asylum seekers.” . . System.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to announce in the coming weeks that the government intends to stop hosting refugees in hotels.
Home Secretary Swella Braverman has already hinted she wants to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, which she says costs around £6m a day.
It appeared that plans to move asylum seekers from hotels to military bases or possibly closed ferries would likely be announced within a few weeks.
Hotels are now being used to house asylum seekers, as the government is legally required to provide basic services to those seeking assistance. More than 51,000 people are expected to be accommodated in some 395 hotels.
Military bases in Lincolnshire and Essex are among the sites surveyed. Decommissioned ferries should also be considered, though plans to use student accommodation and holiday camps have reportedly been shelved.
The Home Office says it cannot comment on individual sites or offers that may or may not be used for temporary accommodation or asylum.
said Enver Soloman, CEO of the Refugee Council, which fights for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. I they find the news disturbing.
“We are deeply concerned that the government intends to place a growing number of asylum seekers in places completely unsuitable for their needs,” he said.
“Military bases are completely inadequate to accommodate vulnerable men, women and children who have come to our country in search of safety.
“We must ensure that people fleeing war, conflict and persecution have access to safe, decent and decent housing while they are in the UK’s asylum system.”
Mr. Soloman says such plans only arise because of a “chaotic and inefficient” asylum system, and that decisive action is needed to fix it and replace it with a more organized and humane approach to dealing with the backlog of asylum claims.
“These plans are the result of an asylum system plagued by chronic delays and a record backlog in decision making, as well as a significant increase in hotel occupancy in recent years,” he said.
“There would be no need to use military bases and hotels if all cases were resolved in a timely and efficient manner.
“The government must address this messy and inefficient asylum system by urgently closing the backlog and replacing the chaos and spending we are seeing with an orderly, well-managed and humane approach.”
Some military installations, such as Napier Barracks in Kent, have already been used to house asylum seekers.
But a former army asylum camp in Pembrokeshire was closed in 2021 after inspectors found Penally to have “dilapidated and unsuitable” conditions.
Liz Saville Roberts MP, head of Plaid Cymru Westminster and spokeswoman for the Home Office, said: “Inspectors have described the Pembrokeshire penitentiary barracks as ‘impoverished, dilapidated and unusable’.” They found that the vast majority of the people housed there felt overwhelmed and hopeless.
“Fortunately, penitentiaries have closed and people have been relocated to more suitable housing. But this Tory government has learned nothing from its mistakes.
“Reports of plans to relocate asylum seekers to military bases within weeks show once again that this Tory government is driven by brutality, not political results.”
News of the expected changes to asylum comes as Conservative MPs prepare to protest Rishi Sunak’s illegal immigration bill next week.
A number of senior Tories and former ministers have signed an amendment that removes any role for the European Court of Human Rights from the UK’s immigration process.
The change was proposed by Danny Krueger, Boris Johnson’s former political secretary, and won the support of a number of MPs, including Sir Ian Duncan Smith, Sir John Redwood and Simon Clarke.
The Home Office said it is working to phase out hotels and is offering a range of alternative locations, including former student residences and surplus military installations, for extended stays while providing support for asylum seekers who would otherwise be left without a livelihood. housing system.
However, it is said that the best way to ease the pressure on the asylum system is to stop the boats in the first place, which is why the government is doing everything it can to destroy the business model of human smugglers exploiting vulnerable people for profit.
She says she has introduced legislation to ensure that people entering the UK illegally will be arrested and quickly transferred to another country.
A government spokesman said: “We have always spoken openly about the unprecedented pressure on our asylum system caused by the significant increase in dangerous and illegal travel into the country.
“We continue to work with the government and local authorities to identify a range of accommodation options.
“The government remains committed to working with local authorities and key stakeholders through this process.”
Source: I News
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.