The Story Doomed to fail? Labour’s asylum u-turn
Oct 29, 2025
Matt Dathan, Home Affairs editor at The Times, explores the UK government’s controversial shift to house asylum seekers in military barracks, a move previously opposed by Labour. He discusses the staggering number of migrants currently in hotels, potential capacity issues at barracks, and the financial implications, including past contract failures. Dathan also delves into political motives behind this change, the expected public reaction, and how costs will be managed in this new approach to asylum accommodation.
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Labour's U-Turn On Military Sites
- Labour performed a major U-turn, moving from opposing military sites to planning their use for asylum accommodation.
- The shift reflects urgent need to move migrants out of hotels while aiming to return to dispersal housing long-term.
Hotels Are Only Part Of The Picture
- Only about a third of asylum seekers in taxpayer-funded accommodation are in hotels; two-thirds are in dispersed housing.
- Hotels scaled up massively from 2020–21, changing the usual dispersal model.
Barracks Capacity Falls Short
- Two announced barracks will only house under 1,000 people while Home Office hopes for 10,000 in bases eventually.
- The plan will not by itself solve the 32,000 migrants currently in hotels.