UK says surplus military land among locations being considered to house asylum seekers

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The British government said Wednesday it is working on a plan to house asylum seekers at new locations, including holiday parks and surplus military land.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told members of the foreign media at Downing Street that the government ultimately wants to put an end to small boats crossing the English Channel.

He said the government will soon introduce legislation, citing Sunak.

In response to a question by Anadolu on the plan after announcing the end of using hotels and hostels for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, he said 10,000 spaces have already been identified.

He noted that the government will do this by "working with local authorities to ensure everyone takes their fair share of asylum seekers."

Touching on ending small boat crossings, among five priorities of the premier, he pointed out how the crossings pose dangers to asylum seekers who are also exploited by criminal gangs.

"So we ultimately want to put an end to that and the prime minister has been clear that we will introduce legislation to that end, in the near future," he said.

Last week, Sunak said his government wanted to put an end to the use of hotels for some unaccompanied asylum seekers.

Simon Murray, a Home Office minister, admitted Jan. 23 that across the country, 200 children, who were seeking asylum, went missing after they were placed in hostels run by the government.

The disclosure came after The Observer newspaper reported that a whistle-blower from a hostel in Brighton claimed that some children had been abducted outside the facility and forced into cars.