Britain Turns to Old Army Barracks to House Asylum Seekers as Hotel Costs Spiral

Protesters calling for the closure of The Bell Hotel, believed to be housing asylum seekers, gather in Epping, England, on Aug. 8, 2025. Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty ImagesWith the public appetite waning for accommodating new immigrant arrivals in their communities, British authorities are looking at disused military barracks as an alternative to costly hotel rooms.The use of two sites was announced Oct. 28, and UK Minister of Defense Luke Pollard told Good Morning Britain the government is investigating how it can bring similar sites “online shortly,” in what he called a “whole of government effort” to shut down so-called asylum hotels.