The High Court in London has thrown out objections to government plans to use two disused RAF bases to house single male illegal immigrants seeking asylum.
Local councils in Lincolnshire and Essex were opposed to plans by the Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to convert RAF Scampton and RAF Wethersfield, respectively.
Airfield Linked to Dambusters Raid
RAF Scampton is famous for being the airfield where the Dambusters took off on their famous raid in May 1943.Nineteen Lancaster bombers, crewed by 133 airmen, took part in Operation Chastise, which targeted several dams in Germany.
Led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, and using the “bouncing bomb” invented by engineer Barnes Wallis, they destroyed the Mohne and Eder dams and badly damaged another one on the Sorpe river.
The floodwaters destroyed bridges, railways and roads in the highly industrialised Ruhr valley region and 70,000 people were diverted from their regular wartime duties by the Nazi regime. It also caused water and electricity shortages, which damaged the German war effort.
The raid was turned into a 1955 film, Dambusters, starring Richard Todd as Wing Cmdr. Gibson and Michael Redgrave as Mr. Wallis.
West Lindsey District Council argued the decision to use land at RAF Scampton was unlawful, but Ms. Justice Thornton rejected their arguments and those of Braintree District Council and a Wethersfield resident, Gabriel Clarke-Holland.
Lawyers representing the councils said ministers could only rely on “permitted development rights” because there was no “emergency” which required them to supersede the rules.
Accommodation Needed for the ‘Destitute’
But in her judgment, Ms. Justice Thornton said: “The Secretary of State for the Home Department has a statutory responsibility to provide accommodation and other support to asylum seekers and their dependants who would otherwise be destitute.”“Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of asylum seekers requiring accommodation has reached unprecedented levels,” she added.
She added: “As a result of the strains on the asylum system, in Jan. 2023, the Home Office approached the Ministry of Defence and other government departments enquiring about the availability of Crown Estate assets which could be made suitable in the short term to assist with accommodating asylum seekers.”
“A submission to the minister for immigration, dated Jan. 27, 2023, sought a decision to explore the use of RAF Wethersfield and RAF Scampton to accommodate single adult male asylum seekers,” she added.
In her judgment she also said the immigration minister Robert Jenrick—who resigned in protest at the wording of the Rwanda treaty—had set out various measures which were being introduced to tackle illegal migration.
“The measures included increased enforcement and removals of people with no right to remain; Anglo-French cooperation and a partnership with Rwanda to process claims,” said the judge.
Tory Council Plan to Appeal
Conservative-controlled Braintree District Council said it intended to appeal.Council leader Graham Butland said, “We are, of course, disappointed with this outcome after months of work to present our case and evidence as we still believe it isn’t an appropriate site for a development of this scale given its remote location and the lack of capacity in local services.”
The leader of Liberal Democrat-controlled West Lindsey Council, Trevor Young, said: “West Lindsey District Council remains firmly of the view that the site of RAF Scampton is not suitable for accommodating 2,000 single adult male asylum seekers.”
“It was important for us to challenge the decision taken by the government in March of this year and we made a strong case to the court. We understand the concerns and frustrations of our community,” he added.
A Home Office spokesman welcomed the judgment and said, in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times: “Using surplus military sites provides more orderly accommodation for those arriving in small boats while reducing the use of hotels, as we continue to deliver our plan to stop the boats.”
“We are working with councils and key partners to manage the impact of using these sites, including liaising with local police to make sure appropriate arrangements are in place,” he added.
