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John Swinney has blasted the Home Office over its decision to use a Scots army base to temporarily house hundreds of asylum seekers. The First Minister said the local community had not been engaged with over a plan to use the Cameron Barracks in Inverness to accommodate refugees while their applications for settled status are decided on. The SNP leader did not say he was opposed to the use of barracks being used for asylum seekers in general and did not offer an alternative to the use of hotels - a policy which has caused widespread protests across the UK. Keir Starmer has committed to ending the Tory policy of paying privately-owned hotels to accommodate refugees. Highland Council has said around 300 men will be housed at the Inverness site, which is owned by the Ministry of Defence. The local authority said it had concerns about "community cohesion" and planned to hold a special meeting next week to discuss the issue, with the barracks expected to be in use from December. Speaking to reporters in Edinburgh today, Swinney said: "The emphasis has got to be on engagement with communities on the proposals that have been brought forward. And the reaction from Highland Council demonstrates there has been a poor approach taken by the Home Office, which is, frankly, consistent with how the Home Office operates. "I recognise these are sensitive issues and they require careful handling with good engagement - and all of that has been missing from how the Home Office has gone about this." Asked what the alternative to using a barracks was, Swinney added: "There is a hotel being used in my constituency that's been the product of good engagement with the local authority, and it's been carefully managed and addressed. "That's the point I'm making - I recognise there is an issue here, but you don't solve that issue by coming out with propositions that, clearly, have not been the subject of good dialogue with local communities, and that's where the Home Office have got this wrong." Pressed on whether he supported the use of hotels instead of barracks, the SNP leader added: "There's an issue here about finding suitable accommodation for people who are going through the asylum process. "People in all these circumstances must be treated with dignity and respect as part of our obligations to human rights. "But in the manner in how we go about that, there's got to be good engagement." It comes after Inverness MSP Fergus Ewing said he has had "numerous messages" of "deep concern" from constituents about the plan. He said: "Many constituents have told me they are particularly worried about the proposed accommodation of several hundred men in such a central location, close to residential areas. "They are especially concerned for safety of women and girls. These concerns are about safety and community capacity – not prejudice – and they must be taken seriously." Ewing, a former SNP stalwart before announcing he would be standing next year as an independent candidate, added that he would be raising the issue directly with the First Minister and urging him to oppose it. To sign up to the Daily R ecord Politics newsletter, click here
