Catterick Garrison not suitable for asylum seekers - but will house Afghan refugees, says Rishi Sunak

The Prime Minister confirmed the Home Office had assessed Catterick Garrison in Richmond as unsuitable for a large asylum facility, as the Times first reported.

Mr Sunak said earlier this year that he was “showing leadership” by “bringing forward proposals” to open a migrant accommodation site in his North Yorkshire seat.

It came as ministers unveiled plans to cut the cost of asylum housing by using military bases, including RAF Wethersfield in Essex and RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, as well as the Bibby Stockholm barge.

On a visit to the headquarters of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance yesterday, Mr Sunak denied it was “one rule” for his seat and another for other constituencies.

He told broadcasters: “That’s not right. The MoD (Ministry of Defence) and the Home Office have been conducting site inspections of various alternatives.

“They’ve concluded that Catterick isn’t right for a large asylum site, but the intention is to use it to house refugees from Afghanistan where we obviously have commitments after our withdrawal from that a couple of years ago.

“But more generally taking a step back, stopping the boats is a massive priority of mine. It’s something I said I wanted to do because that’s ultimately the best way to relieve pressure on hotels and other areas and local communities.”

The Times also reported that the Home Office will not procure more accommodation vessels as the Bibby Stockholm has been beset by problems.

An Albanian asylum seeker died on the barge moored in Dorset earlier this month, the discovery of dangerous bacteria led to its evacuation in the summer, and conditions on board have been criticised by campaigners.

Problems at RAF Wethersfield and RAF Scampton also mean the Government will cease opening disused military sites to house asylum seekers, according to the Times.

Mr Sunak was yesterday accused of watering down plans to hike the earnings threshold for Britains bringing family members to the UK.

Ministers have rowed back on under-fire plans to imminently raise the minimum salary requirement to £38,700.

The Government on Thursday quietly announced the threshold would first be raised to £29,000 in the spring, and then increased in “incremental stages”, without setting out a timetable.