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8h ago

UK to Shift Asylum Seekers From Hotels to Military Sites as First France Returns Near

Ministers signal a rapid operational shift to confront record Channel arrivals.

MP Shabana Mahmood who has been appointed to the role of Home Secretary leaves 10 Downing Street, during a reshuffle by the British government following the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in London, Britain, September 5, 2025. REUTERS/Jack Taylor/File Photo
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GRAVELINES, FRANCE - AUGUST 12: Migrants wade into the sea in an attempt to board a small boat on August 12, 2025 in Gravelines, France. More than 50000 small boat migrants have now crossed the English Channel since Labour came to power last July. Last week the UK and France began implementing the so-called 'one-in, one-out' treaty, which was agreed during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit last month, in an effort to curb illegal migration across the English Channel. Under the pilot scheme, a proportion of undocumented people arriving to the UK in small boats will be returned to France, in exchange for the same number of legitimate asylum seekers who may have family ties in the UK. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Official figures show 1,097 people crossed the Channel in a single day, taking 2025’s total to about 30,100, the highest on record for this point in the year.
  • New Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to announce plans to move people from hotels into former Ministry of Defence barracks, with closures of asylum hotels to be fast‑tracked.
  • Mahmood said the UK‑France agreement allows immediate detention on arrival and that the first removals to France are expected imminently.
  • Defence Secretary John Healey said military planners have been seconded into border command and that both military and non‑military sites are under consideration for temporary accommodation.
  • Ministers say a reciprocal ‘one in, one out’ returns arrangement with Germany is close, while refugee groups warn barracks‑style housing risks repeating past failures.