Sunak says barracks in his constituency ‘not right’ for large asylum centre
The Home Office has deemed Catterick barracks in Richmond as unsuitable for a large asylum facility.
Rishi Sunak said he hopes to use a military base in his constituency to house Afghan refugees after it was reported he had scrapped plans to accommodate asylum seekers on the site.
The Prime Minister confirmed the Home Office had assessed Catterick Garrison in Richmond as unsuitable for a large asylum facility, as the Times first reported.
Mr Sunak said earlier this year that he was “showing leadership” by “bringing forward proposals” to open a migrant accommodation site in his North Yorkshire seat.
On a visit to the headquarters of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance on Friday, Mr Sunak denied it was “one rule” for his seat and another for other constituencies.
He told broadcasters: “That’s not right. The MoD (Ministry of Defence) and the Home Office have been conducting site inspections of various alternatives.
“They’ve concluded that Catterick isn’t right for a large asylum site, but the intention is to use it to house refugees from Afghanistan where we obviously have commitments after our withdrawal from that a couple of years ago.
The Times also reported that the Home Office will not procure more accommodation vessels as the Bibby Stockholm has been beset by problems.
An Albanian asylum seeker died on the barge moored in Dorset earlier this month, the discovery of dangerous bacteria led to its evacuation in the summer, and conditions on board have been criticised by campaigners.
Problems at RAF Wethersfield and RAF Scampton also mean the Government will cease opening disused military sites to house asylum seekers, according to the Times.
The High Court earlier this month ruled that the plans for the two bases were lawful after challenges from two district councils, but West Lindsey District Council said it would appeal against the ruling over RAF Scampton.
Mr Sunak on Friday dodged questions on the future of both sites, insisting assessments are done “independently and objectively”.
He said: “This is subject obviously to ongoing legal proceedings so it’s limited what I can say but what I can say is these assessments are done independently and objectively.
“And also, they’re done in a way which will minimise the impact on the local community, but I absolutely get that this is frustrating, of course I do, and that’s why we’ve got to stop the people coming here in the first place.”
The PM highlighted the stalled £290 million Rwanda scheme as key to easing the “pressure” on local communities by deterring migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats.
The plan is currently grounded after a series of legal setbacks while Mr Sunak battles to get emergency legislation through Parliament which he hopes will lead to Kigali being deemed a “safe” country in law.
