LONDON (M10News Politics Desk) — The Home Office has confirmed plans to relocate hundreds of asylum seekers to military sites across the UK, as the government accelerates efforts to phase out the use of hotels for housing migrants.
Around 900 men will be temporarily housed at Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex, with transfers expected to begin by the end of November, according to sources familiar with the plan.
Officials said the decision is part of a wider strategy to cut the financial and social costs associated with asylum hotels, which have faced widespread criticism from local communities and politicians alike.
Government Accelerates Plans to Phase Out Asylum Hotels
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has reportedly instructed the Home Office and Ministry of Defence to speed up efforts to identify more suitable accommodation sites, including industrial estates, disused buildings, and temporary facilities.
A Home Office spokesperson said ministers were “furious” at the scale of illegal migration and determined to close every asylum hotel across the country.
“Work is well under way, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs,” the spokesperson said.
The department said it is working closely with local authorities, property partners, and other agencies to deliver on the government’s target.
Officials believe military and industrial sites can help reduce costs while providing a more structured environment for asylum processing and resettlement.
Starmer ‘Frustrated and Angry’ Over Inherited Crisis
Speaking last week, Sir Keir Starmer said he was “frustrated and angry” at what he described as a “huge mess” inherited from the previous administration regarding asylum management.
The prime minister vowed to end the use of asylum hotels by the end of this parliamentary term and expressed hope that the process could be completed even sooner.
He has argued that the reliance on hotels has placed an unsustainable burden on taxpayers and local councils, calling for a more transparent and accountable asylum system.
Starmer’s pledge comes as tensions rise within the Home Office following the accidental release of a convicted sex offender who entered the UK via a small boat.
Independent Investigation Ordered After Prison Error
Hadush Kebatu, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, was mistakenly freed from HMP Chelmsford on Friday, sparking a nationwide manhunt.
He was recaptured in Finsbury Park on Sunday, prompting Justice Secretary David Lammy to order an independent investigation into the error.
Lammy described the incident as “human error,” but the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) warned against blaming staff, saying the government has long ignored calls to address training and staffing shortages in the prison service.
The case has renewed scrutiny of the Home Office’s operational management, even as it pushes ahead with plans to reform asylum housing and border control systems.
