Migrants currently housed in United Kingdom (UK) hotels will soon be moved into military barracks under plans due to be announced within weeks.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is preparing to unveil the policy after Sir Keir Starmer instructed her to get a grip on the small boats crisis.
The move will allow ministers to begin closing dozens of asylum hotels, which have become flashpoints for nationwide protests over illegal migration.
The government is also close to finalising a one in, one out returns agreement with Germany, building on a similar deal already struck with France.
Defence Secretary, John Healey confirmed military sites are being considered for temporary accommodation.
Speaking to media today, he said, “With the Home Office, I have been putting military planners into border command and into their future planning. We are looking at the potential use of military and non-military sites for temporary accommodation for people arriving on small boats, so they can be processed quickly before decisions are made on whether they can stay or should be deported, as we have done in record numbers over the past year.”
The plan comes amid growing criticism of the Prime Minister’s strategy to dismantle people-smuggling gangs.
Both Reform UK and the Conservatives have pledged tougher action, promising to increase detention and deportation of Channel migrants.
Ms Mahmood, promoted from Justice Secretary to Home Secretary in the recent reshuffle, has been tasked with drawing up stronger measures to stop crossings.
Recall that she replaced Yvette Cooper, who was shifted to the Foreign Office after a record year of small boat arrivals. Ms Cooper was understood to be preparing a similar announcement on using MoD sites and was close to concluding the Germany returns deal before her move.
The Prime Minister also ordered a wider overhaul of immigration policy staff on Saturday night, replacing two junior ministers, including the border security minister.
He has told officials he expects all asylum hotels to be shut well before Labour’s 2029 deadline.
Mahmood’s first day in office underscored the scale of the challenge around 1,000 migrants crossed the Channel on Saturday alone, the PA news agency reported.
The shift to more basic military accommodation comes amid criticism that asylum seekers in hotels are enjoying a luxury lifestyle at taxpayers expense.
Currently, two former bases – MDP Wethersfield in Essex and Napier Barracks in Folkestone – are being used, both of which faced strong opposition from migrant support groups, who compared them to prisons.
