Shabana Mahmood hails military bases as ‘the future’ of illegal migrant accommodation in Britain

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has declared that disused military bases represent the future of asylum accommodation in Britain.

Speaking before the House of Lords justice and home affairs committee, Ms Mahmood said repurposing former armed forces sites would form a central part of Labour's long-term strategy for housing asylum seekers.

"So military bases we see as the future for asylum accommodation," Ms Mahmood told peers.

"We think that can have a better impact on the ability to crowd in services on a site rather than other models providing accommodation."

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The Home Office is seeking planning permission to convert three former military sites into accommodation for up to 3,750 asylum seekers as part of the Government's pledge to end the use of asylum hotels before the next general election.

The proposed sites include the former RAF station at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, MoD Bicester in Oxfordshire and RAF Barnham in Suffolk, which served as a secret nuclear weapons storage facility during the Cold War.

Alongside the three new sites, ministers also plan to expand capacity at two existing Ministry of Defence facilities, creating space for a further 1,750 asylum seekers.

The leases at both sites will also be extended by up to four years.

Two military sites already being used to accommodate asylum seekers - Wethersfield in Essex and Crowborough in Sussex - have faced repeated protests from local residents.

Communities near the proposed new sites have also voiced strong opposition, with campaigners threatening legal action over the plans.

Residents argue the former military bases are unsuitable locations for housing hundreds of asylum seekers.

The proposal for Linton-on-Ouse is particularly controversial after the previous Conservative government abandoned plans for an asylum centre there in 2022 following fierce local opposition and a successful legal challenge by the local council.

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Council leaders have indicated they could revive legal proceedings against Labour's latest plans, insisting "all options are on the table".

Opposition has also emerged at MoD Bicester and RAF Barnham.

Only 580 residents call the quaint village of Barnham home - renowned for its thatched cottages and going without even a local pub or shop.

Locals have warned that the proposed influx of migrant men would triple their community's size overnight, sparking fears about increased antisocial behaviour, threats to women and children, and plummeting property values.

Callum Banthorpe, a 23-year-old who bought his first home in the village for £180,000 in January, expressed deep concern about the lack of local infrastructure to support surging numbers.

He said: "We have not got the infrastructure here for a sudden influx of 1,250 people."

The Home Secretary said the Government had already made significant progress in reducing its reliance on asylum hotels, with the number in use falling from a peak of 400 to 170.

The number of asylum seekers housed in hotels also fell by almost a third to just under 21,000 by the end of March, down from 30,700 at the end of December.

"I think we're on course to meet our pledge to get out of asylum hotels by the end of the Parliament," Ms Mahmood said.

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