RAF Scampton will be used as a centre to accommodate asylum seekers

Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick, updated Parliament on Wednesday, March 29, on the progress the government is making in delivering the Prime Minister’s priority to Stop the Boats; reducing the unsustainable pressure on the UK’s asylum system and the cost to the taxpayer caused by illegal crossings.

The government’s Illegal Migration Bill is designed to stop crossings by ending illegal entry as a route to asylum in the UK.

This will reduce the number of people requiring accommodation in hotels, which is costing £6million a day.

The two military sites in Scampton and Wethersfield will provide basic and functional accommodation for migrants who illegally enter the UK by crossing the Channel in former barracks and modular accommodation.

Scampton and Wethersfield are each due to accommodate about 200 people initially, with capacity gradually increasing to 1,700 at Wethersfield and 2,000 at Scampton.

A non-military site in Bexhill, East Sussex, will also be used.

The Home Office says it will preserve the heritage features of Scampton, recognising the vital role it played in the Second World War and this includes not accommodating migrants in buildings from this period and that it only intends to use Scampton on a temporary basis.