UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has ordered officials to identify former military sites to house hundreds of asylum seekers, in a sharp reversal of the government's previous policy as public anger over the use of migrant hotels rises.

Officials are examining the use of Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Barracks in Sussex to house about 900 single men who have arrived in Britain on small boats and are awaiting asylum decisions.

The policy marks a U-turn in the Labour's government's stance after it vowed to end the use of large military sites to house people awaiting asylum decisions in the summer.

The Home Office said it was "furious" at the level of illegal migrants and the continued use of asylum hotels, adding that repurposing barracks for accommodation was a more cost-effective option.

The number of clandestine arrivals by small boat in the UK this year has already passed 37,000 people, more than the 36,816 recorded in 2024. However, it has not reached the record level of more than 45,000 recorded in 2022.

"This government will close every asylum hotel," the Home Office said. "Work is well under way, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs."

A report published on Monday by the Commons Home Affairs select committee was damning of the government's handling of contracts to manage asylum accommodation, saying the Home Office was wasting billions of pounds through flawed contracts on largely unsuitable accommodation.

The Home Office indicated the shift in policy was a result of instructions from the prime minister.

The department said: "We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and across-government so that we can accelerate delivery."

Using old airfields and military camps to house asylum seekers works out as more expensive per night than hotels, according to data. However, officials have since concluded, according to analysts, that the higher costs mainly reflected high start-up costs and that later running costs for the sites can be lower.

Previous efforts to convert old military sites into migration accommodation have triggered local anger and fears over the effect of the influx of people on local services, particularly health provision.

UK military sites to house asylum seekers