Labour would reverse Scampton asylum camp plan - Yvette Cooper

Plans to house asylum seekers at the ex-RAF Scampton site would be reversed if Labour won the next general election, the Shadow Home Secretary has said.

The Home Office intends to house up to 2,000 people at the site near Lincoln.

But Yvette Cooper has said the plans were "disrespectful" given the history of the site as the former home of the Dambusters squadron and the Red Arrows.

The Home Office said using such sites was "more affordable for taxpayers".

In an interview with BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Ms Cooper said the plan for the former RAF Scampton was "the wrong thing to do".

If Labour won the next general election, due to take place by January 2025, it would commit to removing anyone who might already have been housed at the site, Ms Cooper added.

Without offering a timeframe, she said a Labour government would move as "swiftly as possible".

"We need to recruit additional staff in order to be able to do this. We need to get the staff in place," she said.

"We need to get decisions taken; we need to get the backlog cleared."

Earlier this month, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the government had "got it completely wrong" over its proposals for the former RAF Scampton site.

He said he would not have agreed to house asylum seekers there.

In September, West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) served the Home Office with a stop notice, ordering it to cease all preparation works at the ex-RAF station.

However, WLDC said last week that work had continued at the site, despite the Home Office saying it was complying.

The government had previously said it was "confident" it had complied with planning rules.

Campaigners have also staged a number of protests over the plans for the site, while historians have objected due to its links with the Dambusters squadron.

Lincolnshire Police said it had received reports of an assault and disorder outside the base's main entrance on Tuesday.

It said two men and a woman had been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and a man had been arrested on suspicion of assault and aggravated trespass.

All four remain in custody, the force added.

A judicial review into the Home Office's plans for the Scampton site is due to take place at the end of this month.

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