UK looks at industrial sites, digital ID cards in overhaul of asylum system

LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold a meeting on Tuesday on how to tackle illegal immigration, including moving asylum seekers out of hotels to accommodation on industrial sites and introducing digital ID cards.

Immigration is now the dominant political issue in Britain, eclipsing concerns over the economy, as the country faces a record number of both asylum claims and arrivals by migrants in small boats from Europe, including more than 28,000 this year.

Starmer told his cabinet of ministers on Tuesday that it was "easy to understand the frustration people feel at the level of illegal crossings" and the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, his spokesperson told reporters.

At the meeting later on Tuesday, Starmer will look at issues such as "cracking down on pull factors and illegal working, including exploring options around digital ID, accelerating the closure of hotels and looking at better forms of accommodation," the spokesperson said.

The government will look at options including housing asylum seekers in accommodation on industrial sites and military bases, the spokesperson said.

Under British law, the government must provide accommodation for asylum seekers who would otherwise be homeless.

Hotels were once only used to house asylum seekers in emergencies. But they were increasingly employed as accommodation for asylum seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic when the government imposed social distancing rules.

Currently there are just over 32,000 migrants in more than 200 hotels across the country, according to government figures up to the end of June.

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; editing by Michael Holden)