Rutland and Melton MP, Alicia Kearns, has said that national news articles shared on Easter Monday highlighting locations to be used to house asylum seekers are 'inaccurate'.

On Monday 10 April, a 'leak' revealed that various properties and land across the UK belonging to the Crown were being considered for housing asylum seekers.

One of these proposed locations was St George's Barracks in Rutland.

The barracks, set to close in 2026, was reportedly on the list of locations being proposed, being one of the largest sites with the capacity to hold 2,200 immigrants. Read more here.

However, the MP for Rutland and Melton, Alicia Kearns, has said that this report is 'inaccurate'.

Ms Kearns, Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton said: "I spoke to Home Office Ministers and the Secretary of State for Defence's office on Easter Monday who confirmed the articles in The Times and The Daily Mail are inaccurate and St George's is not being considered currently to act as an asylum location. 

"Whoever 'leaked' from the Home Office is deliberately conflating the ePIMS disposal list of MoD properties with sites the MoD can release to the HO to assist with housing asylum seekers. It is inaccurate to do so."

 Rutland County Council, meanwhile, have confirmed that they have not been contacted by central Government about the location of asylum seekers in Rutland.

advertisement

A spokesperson from Rutland County Council said: "We are aware of national media reports that mention St George's Barracks in North Luffenham as a possible site for accommodation to house migrant families seeking asylum in the UK. 

"Rutland County Council has had no contact from the Government in relation to this and it's unclear to what extent local authorities have been consulted in areas where surplus military sites are already confirmed as being used for migrant accommodation.

"The Council has approached the Home Office and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to ask for clarification on the Government's plans to accommodate asylum seekers entering the UK and whether these plans do include St George's Barracks."