Great Britain also wants to accommodate asylum seekers on ships in the future and thus significantly reduce costs. “We will look at the full range of options, low-cost housing, former army barracks and – where appropriate and how it is done elsewhere in Europe (…) – ships when they can be used safely and responsibly”, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab told the BBC.

The previous accommodation in hotels brings “high costs for taxpayers” with it, said the conservative politician. According to its own information, Great Britain currently pays 6.8 million pounds (7.75 million euros) a day for hotels in which migrants live. According to a study by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, a third of the British development aid budget is spent on supporting refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. As a result, aid for natural disasters abroad suffers, it said.

As reported by the media, newly arriving migrants are initially to be housed at two air force bases. But this is also causing trouble within the cabinet: Secretary of State James Cleverly has criticized the planned use of a base in his constituency.