Tories gave go-ahead to buy £15m asylum site despite risks

Leading Tories Robert Jenrick and Oliver Dowden were on the committee which backed plans for the "rushed and misjudged" £15m purchase of an asbestos-ridden site for asylum accommodation, Whitehall's spending watchdog has disclosed.

- Rajeev Syal Diane Taylor

The then immigration minister and the former chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster were members of the Small Ministerial Group which oversaw the purchase of Northeye site in Bexhill, East Sussex, as the government attempted to move asylum seekers from hotels.

Jenrick, the shadow justice minister, ultimately signed off the payment of £15.2m for the abandoned prison site a year after the previous owners bought it from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for £6m.

The government "chose to dispense with some established processes" to acquire the Northeye site for asylum accommodation at pace, leading to increased costs.

Auditors found that the main risks on the site were ground contamination, asbestos in buildings, flooding risks and issues with mains connection to utilities. It estimated that repairs could cost £20m.