Badenoch proposes housing migrants in ‘camps’ as crossings near 50,000 under Labour

Kemi Badenoch has suggested placing asylum seekers currently housed in hotels into “camps”, as new Home Office figures reveal that almost 50,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats since Sir Keir Starmer took office. Speaking about immigration to members of the public in Epping, Essex on Monday (11 August), the leader of the opposition said: “We’ve got to turn things around very quickly. We cannot use rules from 1995, or 2005, or even 2015 for 2025.” She pondered: “Is it possible for us to set up camps and police that, rather than bringing all of this hassle into communities?” In recent weeks, protesters have gathered across Epping to oppose the decision to house asylum seekers in local hotels.