Tories accused of 'gimmick' plan to house asylum seekers on disused barges
Tory ministers have been accused of distracting from "failures" with controversial plans to house asylum seekers on disused barges, ferries and military bases.
The proposal - branded a "gimmick" - comes as the Government attempts to reduce the £6.8million-a-day cost on hotels for those awaiting a Home Office decision on their asylum cases.
Immigration minister Robert Jenrick will announce the use of two RAF sites - Wethersfield and Scampton - for those who arrive after crossing the Channel on small boats.
Ministers are looking at an "accomodation barge" with the potential to house hundreds of asylum seekers - despite safety concerns.
Other reports claim the Government is examining the use of former cruise ship from Indonesia with the aim of it being moored in south-west England.
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But a Government source downplayed barges or ferries being used imminently. "Nothing has been bought," they admitted.
Asylum seekers picked up at sea attempting to cross the English Channel in December 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)Mr Jenrick's plans were also dealt an early blow as Braintree Council said it would apply for High Court injunction over plans to house asylum seekers at Wethersfield Airfield.
In a statement, they said: "This injunction challenges the Home Office proposals to place asylum seekers at Wethersfield Airfield.
"The papers are expected to be lodged with the High Court imminently."
More than 50,000 people have signed a petition to stop RAF Scampton being turned into an immigration detention centre, which was organised by local Labour candidate Hamish Falconer.
It is understood up to 1,500 asylum seekers could be accommodated mostly in shipping container-style units on the runway of the airbase, which was home to the Dambusters.
Mr Falconer dismissed the “completely inhumane and impractical plan”, which he warned would jeopardise proposals to create jobs by turning the site into a centre for future aviation and the space industry.
Ministers want to house more than a thousand people at RAF Scampton, which was home to the Dambusters (PA)He told the Mirror: "I cannot see how this proposal can work, the Conservatives will be shredding thousands of jobs here so they can make an announcement.
"Scampton is really poorly connected down a dangerous busy road, we have a hospital that has been in crisis with people unable to get A&E beds.
"People who work in the hospital say there is no way they can cope with the complex needs these men are likely to have."
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Rishi Sunak told his Cabinet on Tuesday that the cost of using hotels and the pressure it puts on local areas meant it was not sustainable.
The Prime Minister later told MPs that children cannot be exempted from plans to detain people who cross the Channel in small boats to prevent the creation of a "pull factor".
Speaking on Wednesday the Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told the BBC vessels will be used where they can be "safely and responsibly" utilised.
More than 50,000 have signed a petition organisedby Hamish Falconer, Labour's parliamentary candidate in Lincoln (James Turner/Lincolnshire Live)He told BBC Breakfast there is a "huge cost to the taxpayer" of hotel use and this is "deeply frustrating" to many, while acting as a "pull factor".
"We will look at the whole range of options, low-cost accommodation, ex-Army barracks and, where it's appropriate, as has been used elsewhere in Europe, and I think in Scotland as well, vessels if they can safely and responsibly be used," he said.
"The immigration minister will set out these proposals in detail in the House of Commons later today."
But the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael: “This plan is only necessary because last year the Home Office only processed 4% of asylum applications.
"The government should devote more energy to tackling this appalling backlog rather than generating a daily gimmick to distract attention from their failure.”
Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, added: "We are deeply concerned by the Government's plans to accommodate people seeking asylum on military bases and apparently barges that are entirely unsuitable to their needs.
He added: "These sites are wholly inadequate places to house 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 can access safe, dignified, and appropriate accommodation while in the UK asylum system.
“They are also unworkable and will add yet more cost and chaos to the system.
"The use of unsuitable contingency accommodation is a direct consequence of the chronic delays and huge backlog in the asylum system. There would be no need for hotels if cases were processed promptly and effectively."
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