Reform UK MP offers to help Yvette Cooper solve migrant crisis in brutal swipe

Reform UK’s Deputy Leader cheekily mocked the Home Secretary’s plans to house asylum seekers in abandoned industrial and disused military sites. Yvette Cooper confirmed earlier this week that the government was exploring the possibility of using abandoned warehouses, former military bases and disused tower blocks to house migrants and stop the use of asylum hotels.

Pressure has grown steadily on the Government to stop the practice, with several protests outside asylum hotels across the country in recent weeks. Richard Tice said on X: “I have an empty warehouse, away from any residents, which I could offer to you for a special price. You will be pleased it is very sustainable with solar panels on the roof. Happy to help.”

Earlier this week the prime minister convened a meeting to discuss ways to end the use of asylum hotels, which the government have vowed to do by the end of the parliament.

His official spokesperson confirmed that they were looking at ways of speeding up the closing down of hotels, with “modular buildings” on industrial and ex-military sites as a “value for money” option being explored.

Figures from estate agents Savills show that more than 60 million square feet of empty warehouse space is available throughout the UK, consisting of more than 300 unused units.

The pressure on the government comes as small boat crossings continue to reach the UK, with 50,000 people arriving since Labour won the general election in July 2024.

At the end of June, there were 32,059 asylum seekers in more than 200 hotels, an 8% rise year on year but down slightly from the number being housed in March.

Estimates show that the cost to the public purse was £5.77m per day in 2024/25.

The introduction of national ID cards in a bid to make it difficult for those in the country illegally to obtain work.

Cabinet Member Pat McFadden discussed the plans in Estonia, a country with a highly developed and sophisticated ID card system, which is used for tax returns, registering births, booking GP appointments and even collecting supermarket loyalty points.

He said: There are applications of digital ID to the immigration system, to the benefit system, to a number of areas which can show that we are interested in proper validation of people’s identity, that the people who exercise rights are the people who are entitled to rights, and good value for money for the taxpayer.”

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has cast doubt on how effective the practise would, claiming that the Conservatives would oppose the introduction.

He said: “Most employers who are employing individuals illegally are doing so knowingly. They are doing so dishonestly.

“Merely asking those employers to check ID cards rather than the current checks that they are already obliged to do is not going to make a blind bit of difference.”