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In an effort to reduce the taxpayer's bill, Britain will "sacrifice" asylum seekers

In an effort to reduce the taxpayer's bill, Britain will
Old military bases

Thousands of asylum seekers will be housed in old military bases and on a giant accommodation barge in plans to be announced by Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick on Wednesday.

The move will be the first major step in the government's pledge to end the controversial practice of housing asylum seekers in hotels.

Jenrick will unveil initial proposals to relocate around 3,000 migrants from hotels at two disused RAF bases.

GB News understands that the Home Office has already secured the use of the former RAF base at Wethersfield in Essex and RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

Any move to house asylum seekers on a giant accommodation barge will have to pass rigorous maritime and health and safety checks.

The prime minister announced in December that the government plans to stop using hotels to house migrants.

Around 400 hotels across the country have been required by the Home Office to house more than 51,000 asylum seekers, at a cost to the taxpayer of almost £7 million a day.

Although moving away from the use of hotels will be welcomed by many, the plans face fierce opposition in communities near proposed sites for large-scale asylum-seeker accommodation centres.

Residents in the Essex village of Wethersfield told GB News they were determined to fight plans to house at least 1,500 asylum seekers at the nearby base.

Last Sunday, more than 250 people from Wethersfield and surrounding communities attended an emergency meeting at Wethersfield Village Hall.

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