MINISTERS warn that pop-up accommodation will soon be needed to house Britain’s record number of small-boat migrants. About 10,000 have already made the dangerous, illegal Channel crossing this year. Many more are expected as the good weather returns, and Border Force warn that the total could top 20,000 by the end of the year. Huge […]
MINISTERS warn that pop-up accommodation will soon be needed to house Britain’s record number of small-boat migrants.
About 10,000 have already made the dangerous, illegal Channel crossing this year.
Many more are expected as the good weather returns, and Border Force warn that the total could top 20,000 by the end of the year.
Huge numbers of arrivals are being housed in budget hotels in Kent and the home counties but insiders say capacity is “utterly full”.
Town halls are struggling to find so-called dispersal accommodation in their housing stock — and hotels 85 miles away in upmarket areas of London such as Islington and Kensington are being used to accommodate migrants.
Now the Home Office wants to speed up plans for temporary facilities to cope with the huge influx, and locations for reception centres near Dover are now being scouted.
Home Secretary Priti Patel wants “one-stop” facilities — as used in Denmark and Switzerland — to “provide basic accommodation in line with our statutory obligations”.
They could also be used to detain failed asylum seekers as they wait to be deported.
Last night an ally of Ms Patel told The Sun: “Priti hates using hotels. She’s made that very clear to her officials.
“That’s why her Nationality and Borders Bill sets out her plans to end our reliance on hotels by using purpose-built reception centres which can provide simple but safe accommodation.”
French police have managed to stop just 8,000 would-be migrants reaching English beaches, sparking growing tension between Ms Patel and her Paris counterparts.
