WESTMINSTER’S “total disregard for human decency” has been exposed by new plans to house asylum seekers in military barracks, the SNP has said.
Around 400 people including families are to be housed in temporary accommodation at Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent, from next week.
The SNP’s shadow immigration spokesperson, Stuart McDonald MP, said the plans were part of the “UK Tories’ toxic anti-immigration policies”.
McDonald, the MP for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East, said: “The UK Tories toxic anti-immigration policies, and total disregard for human decency, is actively putting people’s welfare at risk.
“In Glasgow, we’ve seen asylum seekers packed into hotels and hostels that are not fit for purpose for prolonged periods.
“As a human being, and member of a compassionate political party, I have massive concerns about hundreds of migrants being cramped into military barracks.
READ MORE: Refugee Council slams ‘dehumanising’ BBC and Sky News reports
“But this latest decision from the UK Government is another sad reflection of the total lack of compassion at the very heart of the Tory party.
“It’s time the Home Office started to treat these innocent people like human beings.”
The people who will be housed in the barracks are understood to include migrants who crossed the Channel recently in small boats.
Damian Collins (below), the Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe, along with the leader of Folkestone and Hythe District Council and the chairman of Sandgate Parish Council, has demanded the Home Office plans be reversed.
In a joint letter, the three politicians wrote: "We have great concerns about the impact this large open camp will have on the welfare of the local residential community and also those people in the asylum system who will be placed at the barracks itself."
In a statement, Folkestone and Hythe District Council cited a "lack of consultation on this matter and the exceptionally poor communication with us".
They added: "We are quite sure that members of the community will have many questions, and we are seeking clarification as a matter of urgency."
A UK Government spokesperson said: "During these unprecedented times, the Government is working with a range of partners and across departments to secure further accommodation and the MoD has offered use of some of its sites.
READ MORE: We just want our children: Anguish of New Scots families split by war and Home Office
"When using contingency accommodation we work closely with organisations, including local authorities and law enforcement, throughout the process to ensure value for money and that vulnerable asylum seekers, who would otherwise be destitute, have suitable accommodation while their claims are processed."
A barracks in Pembrokeshire, Wales, is also being considered for use by the Home Office, the PA news agency reported.
Meanwhile today, immigration minister Chris Philp announced that 14 asylum seekers who had crossed the Channel to Britain had been deported this morning.
He said on Twitter that they had been removed to European countries following "last minute vexatious legal claims".
On Monday at least 168 people crossed to the UK aboard 12 small boats.
Among them were a group of 10 migrants pictured landing on Kingsdown beach in Kent and making off away from the shoreline.
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