UK Opposition Leader Badenoch Suggests Camps for Asylum Seekers Amid Rising Arrivals

Kemi Badenoch, Leader of the Opposition and Conservative MP for North West Essex, has proposed setting up "camps" for asylum seekers as an alternative to housing them in hotels, amid growing protests and community concerns in places like Epping, Essex. She emphasized the need to update immigration rules to reflect the challenges of 2025, suggesting that such camps could be policed to reduce the impact on local communities, which she says have expressed feelings of insecurity. Badenoch highlighted the issue of illegal arrivals and called for immediate deportation of those who enter the UK unlawfully, criticizing existing pathways that allow migrants to claim welfare without contributing. She also acknowledged that the Conservative Party does not have all the answers and stressed the importance of community involvement in finding solutions. The government is concurrently ramping up efforts to reduce migration, including expanding a "deport now, appeal later" scheme and implementing a "one in, one out" returns deal with France. Badenoch's comments come amid wider tensions over migration in the UK, with ongoing protests and debates over the government's handling of asylum seekers and foreign offenders.