Minister defends plan to put migrants in barracks

MOVING asylum seekers into military barracks will be worth it, even if it costs more than using hotels, because it will help quell public discontent, Downing Street has suggested.

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The Prime Minister's official spokesman also rejected suggestions the UK Government had not moved swiftly enough to grasp the migrant crisis.

The Home Office confirmed on Monday that two barracks in Scotland and southern England would be used to house about 900 men temporarily.

Keir Starmer said he wants to see asylum hotels closed “as quickly as possible” and is “bearing down on this every day of the week.”

The plans will see men housed at Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex.

Spending on the plan could prove to be higher than housing migrants in hotels, defence minister Luke Pollard signalled yesterday morning.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said costs “will vary site by site” when asked about Mr Pollard’s suggestion.

“But our priorities are security and fairness,’ he added.