Number of asylum seekers housed at former RAF base in Essex to rise by 50%
Currently there are about 800 asylum seekers accommodated at the remote former RAF base MDP Wethersfield in Essex and the Home Office is moving in 425 more.
Wethersfield is one of only two Home Office mass accommodation sites, along with Napier barracks in Folkestone, and was already the largest. Campaigners and the local council have expressed concern about the increase at the remote site, where there has previously been anti-migrant protests.
NGOs are concerned that asylum seekers en route to Wethersfield could be targeted by anti-migrant demonstrators on their way to protest outside the Bell hotel in Epping if their routes cross.
An internal Home Office update on the situation at Wethersfield dated 24 July, seen by the Guardian, states: 'While the site's regular cap is 800 an additional 445 bed spaces may be used temporarily during peak demand. There are no plans to exceed 1,245.'
Charities and watchdogs have criticised conditions on the site. The former independent chief inspector of borders and immigration David Neal described 'an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness' among the asylum seekers there when he inspected the site.
Home Office sources said that the increase in numbers was a temporary measure and that all relevant health and safety rules would be complied with.
The population of the nearby village of the same name was recorded in the most recent census as 1,298. Although some local residents have expressed opposition to having asylum seekers on the base, many have said they are supportive of the asylum seekers themselves and are involved with initiatives to provide hands on support for them during their time at Wethersfield.
'Things are pretty quiet,' said one resident. 'We haven't had much trouble here.'
In March 2025 a high court judge found the former home secretary Suella Braverman acted unlawfully in accommodating three asylum seekers at the former RAF base. The men – who were at Wethersfield between July 2023 and February 2024 – argued they were living in prison-like conditions.
Responding to the planned increase in numbers at Wethersfield, Steve Smith, the chief executive of Care4Calais, said: 'Given the anxiety and despair this former military camp has inflicted on its residents, the government should be shutting it down not expanding its capacity.
Sign up to First Edition
Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters
after newsletter promotion
'That's what Keir Starmer promised in opposition, and that was before the high court ruled that survivors of torture and modern slavery had been unlawfully accommodated at the camp. It is deeply worrying that the opposite is now happening, with hundreds more set to the subjected to this prison-like camp.'
Graham Butland, the leader of Braintree district council, said: 'This disused airbase in a very rural area does not have the infrastructure to host asylum seekers on such a large scale.'
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'All use of property or sites under our ownership is carried out in accordance with relevant planning permissions, and we work together with local authorities and other stakeholders to ensure the accommodation estate is continuously reviewed and managed safely and effectively at all times.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Police chief hits back after accusations of ‘cover-up' regarding rape suspects
Police have denied a 'cover up' after a Reform UK councillor accused the force of withholding information following the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl. Warwickshire Police's chief constable, Alex Franklin-Smith, has asked the Home Office to confirm the full immigration status of Ahmad Mulakhil and Mohammad Kabir, who have been charged in connection with the offence. It comes after Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage and Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch claimed there had been a 'cover up' after police charged the two men, who are Afghan asylum seekers. In a letter to the Home Secretary and Warwickshire Police's chief constable, Mr Finch, the youngest council leader in the country, claimed that not publicising the pair's immigration status 'risks public disorder breaking out on the streets of Warwickshire'. Responding to Mr Finch, Mr Franklin-Smith wrote that the force 'did not and will not' cover up alleged criminality. 'I am confident that Warwickshire Police has treated this investigation seriously from the outset working tirelessly to identify, locate, arrest and charge those suspected of being responsible for this awful crime as quickly as possible.' Of the suspects, he wrote: 'The immigration status of Ahmad Mulakhil and Mohammad Kabir is now public knowledge, having been placed into the public domain by yourself. 'In light of that, I have asked the Home Office to confirm the full immigration status of Ahmad Mulakhil and Mohammad Kabir as per the information we shared with the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts as part of this case.' Of a conversation he and Mr Finch had on July 31, Mr Franklin-Smith wrote: 'You informed me you had already received a confidential briefing from your chief executive and that you knew the person charged was an asylum seeker. 'I confirmed this was accurate and we wouldn't be releasing immigration status at point of charge as we follow national guidance. 'I explained the information would become public knowledge as part of the court process and that all partners must ensure we are prepared to manage any potential protest and/or disorder at that stage. 'I explained we had a police gold commander leading the overall response to this case and that the communications plan agreed by them followed consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service. 'I also explained we had briefed the Home Office. 'To be clear, I cannot tell elected individuals what to do.' Following the reported attack in Nuneaton, Mulakhil, 23, was arrested on July 26 and charged the next day with rape, according to police. Mulakhil appeared at Coventry Magistrates' Court last Monday and has been remanded in custody. Kabir, 23, was arrested in Nuneaton on Thursday and charged with kidnap, strangulation and aiding and abetting rape of a girl under 13, the force added. Kabir appeared at Coventry Magistrates' Court on Saturday and has been remanded in custody. The issue of how much information is revealed by police regarding suspects has been the subject of fierce debate following a string of high-profile cases including the Southport killings last year. On Tuesday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said 'we do think more transparency is needed' in the information given by police and that 'guidance needs to change'. In a statement released on Tuesday evening, a Home Office spokesperson said: 'As the Home Secretary said this morning, it has been widely reported that this case involves two Afghan individuals who are in the asylum system, some of which information has already been confirmed in open court. 'The Home Secretary has made clear that there is a strong public interest in maximum transparency wherever that is possible. 'That is why the Home Office and College of Policing are working together to strengthen and clarify the guidance around how and when information is released.' Warwickshire Police previously said they do not believe anyone else was involved in the reported rape but are continuing to appeal for witnesses who may have information that could assist inquiries.
Telegraph
2 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Labour faces questions over £30,000 ‘cash for access'
A Labour group is facing questions over 'cash for access' after offering businesses private meetings with 'an influential Labour figure' in return for thousands of pounds, it has been reported. The Labour Infrastructure Forum (LIF), which is run by lobbyists and has an advisory council of senior party figures, has reportedly been offering sponsorship packages to businesses since it launched last summer. Companies are said to have been approached and offered the chance to sponsor events at which they can meet 'key policymakers' in private and ' shape the discussion '. Deals on offer have included £7,850 plus VAT for a 'private breakfast/dinner roundtable with an influential Labour figure', £11,750 plus VAT for a 'parliamentary panel event with key policymakers', and between £21,500 and £30,000 plus VAT to sponsor a 'Westminster drinks reception', according to The Times. LIF describes itself as a think tank on its website and said its mission was to develop policy proposals focused on 'getting Britain building and growing again'. The group was launched in September at an event that featured speeches from Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and Varun Chandra, a business and investment adviser to Sir Keir Starmer. Its advisory council includes three Labour MPs – Mike Reader, Kirsteen Sullivan, and Bill Esterson – alongside Ruth Kelly, a former transport secretary, and Lord McNicol of West Kilbride, who served as general secretary of the Labour Party from 2011 to 2018. Baroness Blake of Leeds, a government whip in the House of Lords, was also involved in the group until several months ago. According to The Times, the group is not a lobbying company or part of the Labour Party, meaning it does not have to abide by rules for lobbying firms or political parties. It also has no legal obligation to publicly disclose details of payments it has received from sponsors, or of who has attended its private events. It also does not have to register with the lobbying watchdog, the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists (ORCL). Gerry McFall, the group's director, is also the director of the lobbying firm Bradshaw Advisory, which is said to have a strong relationship with government figures. He reportedly told undercover reporters that one of the firm's clients had been able to have a meeting with Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, at last year's Labour Party conference. However, the LIF claimed it had told the undercover reporters it does not engage in consultant lobbying activity. An LIF spokesman said: 'LIF is a think tank, does not engage in consultant lobbying and does not have clients, and is therefore not required by law to register with the ORCL. This is clear on LIF's website and in any communications or contractual arrangements with potential sponsors. 'Like all think tanks, LIF seeks sponsorship to operate and cover costs, and does so on a case-by-case basis. 'LIF does not endorse any of its sponsors' products or services. LIF's policy work is entirely editorially independent from any sponsorship and solely expresses the views of LIF's executive.' The Times also reported that the Labour Party's events team offered lobbyists the chance to pay £15,000 plus VAT to partner with the party for winter receptions at which their staff could meet MPs. Officials reportedly emailed the companies saying any payments would not have to be publicised as they were a 'commercial transaction' rather than a 'gift to the party' and so was 'not a recordable donation'. A Labour Party spokesman said: 'Commercial partnerships at events are a longstanding practice and have no bearing on party or government policy. The party fully complies with all rules relating to the reporting of donations.'
The Sun
2 minutes ago
- The Sun
Keir Starmer made a colossal error scrapping the Rwanda scheme — his one in, one out gimmick will deter no one
Boat missed ANOTHER day, another shambolic attempt to fix Britain's broken borders. The latest big idea is a so-called 'one in, one out' deal with France. But Home Secretary Yvette Cooper refuses to put a number on how many bogus asylum-seekers will actually be sent back. At the very most it is likely to be no more than 50 a week — while 800 are arriving every seven days The scheme does nothing to end the migrants' incentives to come to the UK — such as bountiful benefits and the booming black market. Crucially, it doesn't act as any meaningful deterrent either. We DID once have a genuine plan: sending them to Rwanda. Yet Keir Starmer made a colossal error by scrapping the scheme on his first day in power. Branding it a gimmick, he insisted it had no chance of working. But the evidence showed that it WAS. In fear of its planned introduction last summer, hundreds had already started heading to Ireland instead. That's why, in a major embarrassment to the PM, Donald Trump has nicked the idea. 25K migrants have arrived across the Channel so far this year despite Labour's promise to crackdown The President — who has already slashed illegal migration in the US by 94 per cent — is now paying Rwanda to take their migrants. How many boats would have been stopped had Labour done the same? 1 Crippled tipple WHAT a devastating blow it is to see more than 1,100 pubs and restaurants close since Labour's jobs tax Budget. And what more terrible proof of its disastrous impact than the loss of two beloved boozers and eateries a day? Punters are clearly now holding on to what little spare cash they have. Being forced to stay at home is having devastating consequences on the hospitality industry. Landlords can't cope with soaring energy costs, crippling business rates and the deeply damaging National Insurance rise. And that's before hole in her next Budget. It's a tragic mix costing our vital communities dear. Bob villains TO the Left, race-hate rapper Bob Vylan is a martyr to the Palestinian cause. Yet a surge in antisemitic attacks followed his vile rants at Glastonbury. Racism watchdog CST says six incidents of hatred were committed against a Jewish person every day in the first half of this year. Such a shameful toll shows the obvious dangers to British Jews of Government appeasement of the pro-Palestinian mob.
