Migrants set to be housed on military base where Prince William trained as pilot
Labour's plan to move migrants to military base where Prince William trained exposed
The Home Office wants to use MOD Bicester, MOD Barnham and MOD Linton-on-Ouse to house asylum seekers as ministers try to close hotels.
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Add us as preferred source Comments By Michael Knowles, Home Affairs and Defence Editor 22:30, Thu, Jun 25, 2026 
Almost 4,000 migrants are set to be moved into three more former military bases – including one where Prince William trained as a pilot. The Home Office wants to use MOD Bicester, MOD Barnham and MOD Linton-on-Ouse to house asylum seekers as ministers try to close hotels.
But campaigners in Linton-on-Ouse argued in 2022 that the village was completely unsuitable after former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel drew up plans to relocate 1,500 migrants to the site. And the move is set to spark another furious backlash, as communities continue to bear the brunt of the small boat crisis.
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Ministers also confirmed they want to use Crowborough Training Camp until 2030 – despite originally claiming it only be a “temporary” arrangement.
Labour insisted the move was necessary to close asylum hotels.
Officials said another 20 venues have been closed – including the notorious Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex.
This means there are now fewer than 170 migrant hotels in use.
Border Security and Asylum Minister Alex Norris said: “We promised to close every asylum hotel and hand them back to communities, and that is exactly what we are doing.
“Twenty more hotels have closed, and hotel numbers have more than halved since their peak. Instead, we’re moving asylum seekers into ex-military sites that are a far cry from the hotels the last Government left us with. This is a system being brought back under control – and we will not stop until the job is done.”
Former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace blocked the Home Office from using Linton-on-Ouse for an asylum reception centre in 2022.
Villagers vowed to mount legal challenges, arguing they would not feel safe and condemned a lack of infrastructure for up to 1,500 asylum seekers.
Prince William learnt how to fly Tucanos at the military base.
While Labour is publicly saying it wants to move asylum seekers into ex-military sites, the Home Office’s accommodation providers insist houses, flats and bedsits remain the “core” part of their plans to house migrants.
Almost 70,000 asylum seekers are living in dispersal accommodation - including large HMOs - in communities across the country.
And another 10,000 asylum seekers are set to be moved into houses, flats and bedsits in London, the southern counties and Wales, the CEO of Clearspring Ready Homes revealed.
And hundreds could be given beds in properties which are being shared with local authorities for social housing.
Chris Lakey, the firm’s CEO, told MPs: “Our main thrust has always been to come away from hotels and to try to get back to our core business, which, as you quite rightly identified, is dispersal accommodation.
“We have had negotiations and conversations with the Home Office and with the local authorities and communities about how we can significantly increase dispersal.
“We have plans in place to increase dispersal by up to 10,000 additional bedspaces, and we are about 50% of the way through the proposals to do that. They have been submitted to the Home Office, and they are now at the proposal stage.”
Keeping 350 people in Crowborough is costing taxpayers £160 a night - £16 more expensive than the average hotel room.
The Express has previously revealed how the number living in ‘dispersal accommodation’ could hit 100,000, under the Home Office’s controversial contracts with Serco, Mears and Clearspring Ready Homes.
Service User Demand Plans – which set out how many people can be accommodated in each region - allocated 114,791 spaces for asylum seekers across the country.
Some 68,151 have already been housed, with another 66,021 waiting for accommodation. The North East of England and the North West have both surged past their targets, but need to find additional homes for 2,000 people between them.
The West Midlands will almost certainly exceed its planned target, with 10,944 people expected to be housed in the region. But 9,086 are already living there, and 4,930 more are waiting in the wings.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
