SUNAK EXPECTED TO MOVE ALL MIGRANTS OUT OF HOTELS INTO DISUSED FERRIES AND MILITARY BASES

Rishi Sunak could order disused ferries to be repurposed to provide housing for migrants as part of an attempt to remove asylum seekers from hotels. Next week, the Prime Minister is anticipated to declare that the "end of the road" for asylum hotels is near.

At the moment housing over 50,000 migrants in hotels for asylum seekers is costing close to £7million per day.

The scheme will see single adult male migrants transferred to former military bases, where they will be provided "rudimentary" but adequate living quarters, according to the Telegraph.

Ministers are also said to be contemplating using decommissioned ferries to house migrants, with plans to use student housing and vacation camps put on ice.

Rishi Sunak is expected to argue that the living conditions meet the Government's minimal legal requirements, but that the approach will be toughened to offset the "pull factor" of asylum hotels and reduce costs.

Four-star country homes on rural estates have also been included under the plan.

It comes after violent protests outside hotels where pro and anti-immigrant groups clashed, as well as growing anger among Conservative backbenchers about the effect on overburdened local services and economies.

Ministers face resistance from councils in two areas with military bases where migrants are expected to be transferred, with both authorities contemplating legal action, reports the Telegraph.

This comes as up to 60 Conservative MPs, including former ministers, try to toughen the new Illegal Migration Bill by providing UK courts more power and blocking deportation injunctions.

The rebel MPs are supporting amendments that will allow plans to detain and quickly remove migrants to proceed, regardless of any European Court of Human Rights rulings.

Military bases and ferries will be used to house Channel migrants who arrive in the UK on small boats, and the new small boat legislation will apply retroactively to migrants who arrive after March 7 but before the legislation is enacted this summer.

The location of the government's ferries is unknown, but RAF Scampton and MDP Wethersfield have been identified as possible military sites that could each house up to 1,500 migrants in renovated barracks.

A final decision is anticipated before an announcement as early as next week.

It comes as Mr Sunak and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama promised to work together to tackle illegal migration and people-smuggling gangs, according to a joint statement after they met.

The statement said: "The leaders set out their shared ambition to broaden and deepen the UK-Albania relationship, co-operating on addressing global and regional threats and strengthening our bilateral partnership.

"They noted significant opportunities to grow trade, investment and technology links, and Prime Minister Sunak again welcomed the significant contribution of the long-standing Albanian community in the UK to British life,"

"Prime Minister Sunak and Prime Minister Rama committed to deepen work under the Joint Communique and Taskforce agreed in December, to take forward our shared priority on tackling illegal migration and criminal people-smuggling gangs."

2023-03-25T09:12:28Z dg43tfdfdgfd