Home Office’s Use of 2 RAF Bases to House Asylum Seekers Upheld by High Court

HTML tags rewrite: RAF Scampton—which was home to the Dambusters during the Second World War—can be used to house asylum seekers, following a High Court ruling.

The High Court in London has thrown out objections to government plans to use two disused RAF bases to house single male illegal immigrants seeking asylum.

Local councils in Lincolnshire and Essex were opposed to plans by the Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to convert RAF Scampton and RAF Wethersfield , respectively.

In the summer, the Home Office announced it wanted to house 2,000 illegal immigrants at RAF Scampton but West Lindsey District Council objected.

Braintree District Council in Essex had also sought to block the use of land at RAF Wethersfield .

In her judgment she also said the immigration minister Robert Jenrick—who resigned in protest at the wording of the Rwanda treaty—had set out various measures which were being introduced to tackle illegal migration.” The measures included increased enforcement and removals of people with no right to remain; Anglo-French cooperation and a partnership with Rwanda to process claims,” said the judge.

The Rwanda “partnership” has been held up by the UK Supreme Court, but earlier this week, Home Secretary James Cleverly signed a treaty in Kigali and promised emergency legislation to push it through. Tory Council Plan to Appeal Conservative-controlled Braintree District Council said it intended to appeal.
Council leader Graham Butland said, “We are, of course, disappointed with this outcome after months of work to present our case and evidence as we still believe it isn’t an appropriate site for a development of this scale given its remote location and the lack of capacity in local services.” British Home Secretary James Cleverly (L) and Rwanda’s foreign minister Vincent Biruta (R) pose for the cameras after signing a treaty in Kigali, Rwanda, on Dec. 5, 2023. (PA)The leader of Liberal Democrat-controlled West Lindsey Council, Trevor Young, said: “West Lindsey District Council remains firmly of the view that the site of RAF Scampton is not suitable for accommodating 2,000 single adult male asylum seekers.”“It was important for us to challenge the decision taken by the government in March of this year and we made a strong case to the court. We understand the concerns and frustrations of our community,” he added.



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