Up to 90 more hotels could be needed to house Channel migrants, MPs told
Up to 90 more hotels could be needed to house migrants flocking to Britain in small boats across the Channel, MPs were told today.
The Government wants to use floating barges to accommodate asylum seekers and help slash the £6million-a-day bill for hotel rooms.
But campaigners forced ministers to axe plans for a barge to be moored on Merseyside, and opponents are waging fights to block other proposals.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman admitted local opposition to alternatives meant officials were drawing up plans to book more hotels as migrants continued to arrive.
Some 545 people were detected crossing the Channel in small boats on Monday, after 616 people made the voyage on Sunday.
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Some 8,858 are known to have crossed this year so far.
Suella Braverman admitted the Government would need to book more hotel rooms (PRU/AFP via Getty Images)In March, it was reported almost 400 hotels were being used to house asylum seekers.
Mrs Braverman told the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee ministers wanted “more appropriate, bespoke, much more cost-effective” accommodation than hotels.
She pointed to two former military bases which will house asylum seekers.
But each time other alternatives were blocked, “we are inevitably going to have to use hotels”, she told MPs.
Labour backbencher Paula Barker pointed to a Home Office press release which said two barges were being ordered to house asylum seekers - meaning 90 hotels would not be needed.
However, with plans for at least one of the barges thwarted, the Government would end up needing the hotels after all, said Ms Barker.
Mrs Braverman admitted: “Because we are meeting increasing demand, we are constantly trying to source accommodation for incoming arrivals - that inevitably means the use of hotels.
Mrs Braverman was grilled by the Commons Home Affairs Committee (PRU/AFP via Getty Images)“We are doing everything according to the need and we are demand-led.
“We’ve got 45,000 or thereabouts in hotels at the moment. That’s an unacceptable situation.”
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Insisting that “what we want to do is stop the use of hotels”, the top Tory warned: “To find alternative sources of accommodation and reduce our dependency on hotels takes time.”
Ten days ago Rishi Sunak insisted the Government was succeeding in cutting numbers of migrants reaching British shores by making perilous journeys across the Strait of Dover in small inflatables.
But the Prime Minister was warned recent bad weather may have hampered attempts to launch boats from French beaches.
As the weather improved this week, arrivals have increased.
Mrs Braverman was also grilled about the PM’s plan to to clear the backlog of asylum claims by the end of this year.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to tackle the asylum backlog - but only the one going up to June 28 last year (Getty Images)Latest figures show the number of applications waiting for a decision soared to 172,758 at the end of March, despite government promises to bring it down.
Following a long-running row over the details over the PM’s pledge, Mrs Braverman repeated No10’s admission the promise was referring to the “legacy” backlog as it stood on June 28 last year, when 92,000 were awaiting a decision.
Claimants who arrived after that date and lodged applications would not be included in the pledge.
Mrs Braverman suggested some opponents may have been “wilfully misinterpreting” the Government’s vow.
She added: “The system has been overwhelmed by a large number of meritless claims.”
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