Labour is battling a migrant accommodation crisis (Image: Getty)
Labour is planning to splurge £150million next year on dumping illegal migrants in former military bases, Treasury documents reveal. The Home Office has sparked fury by planning to move MoD Bicester, RAF Barnham and RAF Linton-on-Ouse, with communities vowing to fight the plans every step of the way.
And Andy Burnham’s Government has created a £150million war chest for next year to use these bases, as well as the existing Wethersfield and Crowborough sites, for asylum accommodation.
Some 744 asylum seekers are living in Wethersfield, near Braintree in Essex, and 418 people are in Crowborough, according to the latest Home Office figures.
But ministers want to move 1,257 migrants into MoD Bicester, near Piddington in Oxfordshire, and up to 1,200 in Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire.
Another 930 will be housed near the village of Barnham in Suffolk.
Treasury documents state: “The Government is providing £150million capital investment in 2027-28 to fund additional large sites to accommodate asylum seekers and facilitate the Government’s commitment to end the use of asylum hotels.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “This shows the Government has no intention whatsoever of stopping illegal immigrants or deporting them. Instead, they will be accommodated here. The Conservative BORDERS plan is instead to leave the ECHR, so all illegal immigrants can be deported on arrival.”
And Reform’s Nigel Farage raged: “One of the ways in which we are going to save a huge amount of money is by not having bills of up to £4bn pounds a year housing people who should never be allowed to stay in this country in the first place, and many who, in too many cases, actually post a genuine threat to our national security.
“So it’s a very big saving to be made there. And you may have noticed, the Bardella, Le Pen ticket is now even more odds on to win in France and we have an agreement to send boats back to northern France. So within two weeks, there will be no more boats.”
Almost 70,000 asylum seekers are now living in communities as Labour continues to spread migrants across the country.
Some 69,038 are living in houses, flats and bedsits – including large houses in multiple occupation or HMOs – which is up from 68,719 three months ago.
This includes 4,790 failed asylum seekers.
And analysis shows just 9,694 migrants who arrived on dinghies between 2018 and June 2026 have been removed. Over that same period, almost 205,000 people crossed the Channel.
Only 3,310 people were booted out in the year to June. A third of these were to Albania. The biggest cohorts to cross the Channel – Afghans, Somalis, Eritreans, Iranians and the Sudanese – accounted for fewer than 800. More than 21,000 from these countries arrived over the same 12 months.
In total, more than 213,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats.
Robert Bates, Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control said: “The government has earmarked huge sums to continue housing illegal migrants long into the future.
“Rather than ramping up deportations, Labour intends to divert taxpayers’ money away from the pressing issues facing this country and towards unsuitable asylum sites that will cause utter misery for local communities.”
Labour to Shell Out £150m on Housing Migrants in Former Military Bases
The Labour government is facing fresh criticism after announcing plans to spend £150 million converting former military bases into accommodation for asylum seekers. The funding, included in the Autumn Budget, is intended to help the government close asylum hotels across the United Kingdom and move migrants into alternative accommodation. However, the announcement has sparked controversy, with opposition politicians and local residents questioning whether taxpayers’ money is being spent appropriately.
According to Treasury documents, the government will provide £150 million in capital investment during the 2027–28 financial year to develop additional large accommodation sites for asylum seekers. The plans could involve several former military facilities, including RAF Barnham in Suffolk, RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire and MoD Bicester in Oxfordshire.
The government hopes these facilities will provide thousands of accommodation places while reducing its reliance on hotels, which have become increasingly expensive and controversial. Officials argue that using former military buildings could offer a more organised and cost-effective approach to managing asylum accommodation.
Under the proposals, MoD Bicester could accommodate approximately 1,257 asylum seekers, while RAF Linton-on-Ouse could provide accommodation for up to 1,200 people. Another 930 places have been proposed at the former RAF Barnham site. These developments would represent a significant expansion of the government’s alternative accommodation programme.
However, the plans have generated considerable opposition from local communities. Residents living near the proposed facilities have expressed concerns about pressure on public services, local infrastructure, transport and community safety. Some argue that rural areas do not have sufficient facilities to support large numbers of additional residents.
The proposal for RAF Linton-on-Ouse has been particularly controversial. Local campaigners have questioned whether the village has adequate roads, healthcare services, schools and other essential facilities to accommodate such a large population. They have also raised concerns about the potential effects on local businesses and property prices.
At MoD Bicester, similar concerns have emerged. The site has previously been used for military storage rather than residential accommodation. Local representatives have questioned whether the necessary electricity, water, sewage and transport infrastructure can be provided without substantial additional investment.
Conservative politicians have criticised the government’s approach, arguing that spending £150 million on migrant accommodation does not address the underlying problem of illegal immigration and border enforcement. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has accused Labour of failing to demonstrate that it can significantly reduce the number of people entering Britain illegally.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has also attacked the policy, arguing that the government should focus on preventing unauthorised arrivals and removing people who have no legal right to remain in the country.
However, the government maintains that providing suitable accommodation is a legal responsibility while asylum applications are being processed. Ministers argue that the existing hotel system is expensive and that alternative accommodation could reduce long-term costs for taxpayers.
Defence Secretary John Healey has defended the use of former military facilities, explaining that the investment will help close asylum hotels and return those buildings to their normal commercial use. He has also argued that the programme could benefit communities where hotels have previously been used to accommodate asylum seekers.
The Home Office says it is committed to distributing accommodation more fairly across the country and reducing the impact on individual communities. It also insists that asylum applications will be processed more quickly, allowing people who do not qualify for protection to be removed from Britain.
Nevertheless, questions remain about whether the £150 million investment will deliver the savings promised by ministers. Converting former military sites into residential accommodation requires investment in sanitation, electricity, healthcare, security and other essential facilities. These costs could increase if construction work takes longer than expected or local infrastructure proves inadequate.
Ultimately, the controversy highlights the difficult balance between managing Britain’s asylum system, protecting public finances and addressing the concerns of local residents. While the government believes former military bases offer an alternative to expensive hotels, critics argue that more attention should be given to border enforcement and the removal of people whose asylum claims are unsuccessful.
The coming months will be important in determining whether the proposed sites receive the necessary approvals and whether the government can deliver its commitment to ending the use of asylum hotels. For taxpayers and local communities, the central question remains whether this £150 million investment will provide a genuinely sustainable solution to Britain’s migrant accommodation crisis.