Migrants to be 'housed in marquees across UK' under fresh Home Office plans
23 June 2023, 23:27
The government is understood to have plans to house hundreds of migrants in marquees on large sites across the country.
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Several accommodation sites have been revealed in recent months, including former military bases and barges, after it was revealed migrants are being housed in hotels across the UK, costing the taxpayer £6 million a day.
But the Home Office previously said it would be new arrivals that were sent to new locations instead of migrants currently in hotels.
Plans to house migrants in marquee are still in their early stages but are being developed by the department, a source told Sky.
It comes as Rishi Sunak attempts to tackle the growing number of small boat crossings as part of his top five priorities as Prime Minister.
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The government is already planning to introduce a new law to ensure anyone who arrives illegally in the UK is "detained and swiftly removed".
Ministers will be granted the power to deny asylum applications for those who arrive on small boats.
The Illegal Migration Bill will also give Home Secretary Suella Braverman the power to remove unaccompanied children from the UK after they have turned 18.
The number of Channel crossings by people in small boats so far this month has now surpassed the figure from last June.
Some 312 people were detected making the crossing on Thursday, the Home Office said.
It brings the cumulative number for the month to 3,303: higher than the 3,140 recorded across all of June 2022.
Total arrivals in 2023 now stands at a provisional figure of 10,913.
Some 45,755 people were detected making the crossing during 2022.
A government spokesperson said: "We have been clear that the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable - there are currently more than 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £6m a day.
"We continue to work across government and with local authorities to look at a range of accommodation options.
"Accommodation offered to asylum seekers, on a no choice basis, meets our legal and contractual requirements."
