Copyright metro
The government’s latest announcement shows how out-of-touch it has become (Picture: AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth/Pool) The Prime Minister has declared himself furious at the asylum accommodation mess that he was left by the preceding government. And yet, bizarrely, his solution, which he said he was ‘really pleased’ with, is to reheat a Conservative accommodation scheme that was both spectacularly ill-judged and unsuccessful. The government’s latest announcement – that it will move asylum seekers out of hotels and into camps in disused army barracks – shows how out-of-touch it has become. The public is rightly furious about the dysfunctionality of our asylum system, but we don’t want to simply switch from one demeaning and expensive form of asylum accommodation to another. We want real change to create an asylum system that functions well, and a realistic plan to end small boat crossings by regulating the safe and orderly arrival of refugees. A National Audit Office report in 2024 found that the use of such camps is more expensive even than the hotels, but I was shocked to see the government say the quiet part out loud – that the higher cost is worthwhile to pursue a more ‘basic’ model if it addresses public concerns. Decommissioned asylum accommodation Napier Barracks in Folkstone, England (Photo by Chris Gorman/Getty Images) It seemed to spell things out: this is cruelty for cruelty’s sake – a desperate bid to signal hostility, not a real attempt to fix the system or deliver value for money or results. Camps in ex-military facilities have been excoriated by some medical professionals for causing clinical harm to residents. The costs we need to consider therefore go beyond procurement – they also include the toll of creating conditions that are detrimental to health. The long-term cost of inflicting such suffering on often traumatised people, who in over half of total cases will be eventually recognised as refugees and granted the right to live in our country, is incalculable. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page A government clearly spending more just in order to inflict greater misery on refugees is beyond contempt, and that contempt is showing up for Keir Starmer’s party in the polls. While Reform’s rise remains fairly flat, it is the parties on Labour’s compassionate left that are on the rise now. We’ve seen the proudly pro-immigration Plaid Cymru winning a decisive by-election in Caerphilly, and the Greens drawing almost level with Labour in some recent polls. Clearly, for Labour, pursuing a failed rehash of Conservative hostile policies and attempting to ape Reform’s dehumanising anti-foreigner rhetoric, while occasionally contradicting themselves by branding the same politics they appear to be emulating as racist, is not a winning formula. I’m not the only one who is tired of the spectacle of anti-asylum seeker propaganda dominating our politics (Picture: Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images) The truth is, the British public is not the anti-migrant monolith parts of the media have represented us as. And while we are deeply unhappy with the shambles at our border, most of us still believe how we treat people matters, and want refugees provided with safety. I know I’m not the only one who is tired of the spectacle of anti-asylum seeker propaganda dominating our politics – none of it has ever helped us pay our bills, support our public services, or tackle rampant wealth inequality. The utter farce of the one-in-one-out deal with France has, in my view, failed. Hostility for the sake of hostility has failed. These barracks camps will fail. However, there are measures the government can take to stop border chaos and reduce the number of people who need to be accommodated by the asylum system – recovering some credibility for the Labour party in the process. The utter farce of the one-in-one-out deal with France has, in my view, failed (Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire) Firstly, and most importantly, they must introduce safe asylum routes. The French coast guard has made clear it will not participate in life-endangering operations to drag back vessels in dangerous waters, some of our own Border Force agents have called for a scheme to allow safe and orderly entry to the UK for asylum seekers in Europe. This is modelled on the Ukrainian system, which saw 200,000 refugees arrive safely, without a single one getting in a smuggler’s boat. This is the evidence-based way to stop the boats and smash smuggling gangs. Asylum seekers must also be given the right to work. Research from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research suggests that allowing asylum seekers to work – as is the case in parts of Europe – could save £6.7bn in government spending and boost tax revenue by £1.3bn. What are your thoughts on moving asylum seekers to disused army barracks? I support this decision, it seems practical.Check I don't think it's a good idea, there must be better solutions.Check I don't have enough information to decide.Check Get straight-talking analysis and breakdowns from Westminster with Alright, Gov?, Metro’s award-nominated politics newsletter. Email I agree to receive newsletters from Metro I agree to receive newsletters from Metro Sign UpSign UpThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy It would also help people integrate and become independent much more quickly, restoring dignity and reducing the rate of under-the-counter working. Finally, they must fast-track status for those coming from manifestly unsafe countries. It is absurd that so many of the people trapped long-term in unsuitable asylum accommodation – be it barracks, hotels, or elsewhere– are refugees escaping dangerous countries like Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan and Eritrea. People from these countries should not be subject to long waiting periods in limbo, but instead undergo a light-touch procedure to confirm their identity, before being granted a stable status – just as we did for Ukrainians. The government could accommodate those that remain in communities (Picture: Artur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images) Resources could then be focused on determining more complex cases where a greater level of individual evidence is required to confirm refugee status. By allowing asylum seekers to support themselves, many fewer would be in the system for long periods. The government could accommodate those that remain in communities, dedicating the money we are currently spending on squalid camps to refurbishing and expanding the available stock of quality temporary accommodation available in Local Authorities, so that anyone in need of homelessness support can access it. Far from pathetically replaying one of the Tories’ greatest flops, Keir Starmer is in desperate need of a bold change in direction that can deliver results. It is only cowardice that is stopping him. Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. Share your views in the comments below.
