Kemi Badenoch suggests putting asylum seekers in ‘migrant camps’

Kemi Badenoch appeared to suggest the setting up of migrant “camps” when speaking about possible alternatives to using hotels to house asylum seekers, comments that have been dubbed “deeply troubling” by refugee campaigners.

As she met members of the community in Epping, Essex, the Conservative Party leader said: “We’ve got to turn things around very quickly. We cannot use rules from 1995, or 2005, or even 2015 for 2025.

“Our world is changing very quickly, and we need to adapt to it.”

Mrs Badenoch, who is attempting to persuade voters that the Tories can be trusted on the issue of migration in the face of a growing threat from Reform UK, added: “Is it possible for us to set up camps and police that, rather than bringing all of this hassle into communities?

“As a party, we need to also hear from the community about what you think the solutions are. We don’t have all the answers; it’s important that we make sure that the community is part of the problem solved.”

Responding to her remarks, Refugee Action’s Tim Naor Hilton told The Independent: “It’s deeply troubling that our political leaders appear to be in a race to the bottom for who can treat people seeking asylum the most cruelly.

“It is creating an incendiary atmosphere in our communities that is emboldening dangerous far-right groups and leading to racist attacks on people seeking asylum.

“Hostile policies and rhetoric must stop now. People must be treated with dignity and housed properly in our communities so they can rebuild their lives in peace.”

It comes amid mounting tensions over asylum seekers housed in hotel accommodation in recent days, with protests taking place across the UK.

Meanwhile, the government is ramping up its efforts to bring down migration amid growing public anger over the issue, announcing on Friday that the new “one in, one out” returns deal with France was up and running.

The Home Office has also expanded its “deport now, appeal later” scheme, which sees foreign criminals deported before their appeals have been heard.

But Mrs Badenoch said the fresh government effort to deport foreign national offenders was “the sort of stuff that they should have been doing on day one”.

Asked about the recent announcements, the Conservative Party leader told broadcasters: “When we were deporting criminals, Keir Starmer was writing letters trying to stop our deportations, so I’ll believe it when I see it.

“This is the sort of stuff that they should have been doing on day one. The fact that they tried to stop deportations before means that I don’t really believe it.

“The government has released 26,000 prisoners since they came to power, released them early, there are now more criminals on our streets, that’s what I’m really worried about.”

The “deport now, appeal later” scheme has been expanded to include offenders from another 15 countries including India, Bulgaria and Australia, bringing the total to 23 countries.

It allows the UK to deport offenders who have had a human rights claim against their removal rejected, with any appeals heard from abroad over a video link.