Immigration minister Robert Jenrick confirmed plans to house migrants at former RAF sites in Essex and Lincolnshire despite legal threats from local Conservatives
The government has announced plans to put"thousands of asylum seekers" in disused military bases to accommodate their"essential living needs and nothing more".
The Home Office is also"continuing to explore" controversial plans to use vessels as a form of accommodation while asylum claims are being processed, Mr Jenrick said.He told the Commons:"The prime minister is showing leadership on this issue by bringing forward proposals to provide accommodation at Catterick Garrison Barracks in his constituency, and we're continuing to explore the possibility of accommodating migrants in vessels as they are in Scotland and in the Netherlands.
He said the two RAF sites will be"scaled up over the coming months" to house"several thousand asylum seekers through repurposed barrack blocks and porta cabins". These concerns have previously been voiced by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, the Conservative MP for the area, though earlier deputy PM Dominic Raab told Sky News his cabinet colleague now"fully supports" the policy.
The site is expected to need a considerable amount of work to make it suitable for up to the 1,200 people the Home Office intends to house there.
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