UK considers housing migrants on barges, military bases, and ships to cut asylum costs.

The UK government plans to move migrants seeking asylum from hotels to a barge, military bases, and ships to cut costs and end the hotel scheme. The government is refitting an "accommodation barge" capable of housing hundreds of migrants, and two former military bases in Lincolnshire and Essex are under review. The UK saw a jump in the number of individuals seeking asylum in 2022, particularly from "small boat arrivals" crossing the English Channel, with 72,027 applications last year. Human rights groups have taken issue with the UK's proposals, and some Conservative party ministers have threatened legal action.