Burnham Calls for Wider Asylum Dispersal Across UK

By Staff, Agencies

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for asylum seekers to be housed more widely across the UK as the country continues to face a high number of small-boat crossings across the English Channel.

More than 3,000 migrants have reportedly arrived by boat in the three weeks since Burnham replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister, adding to pressure on Britain's asylum accommodation system.

"We cannot have a situation where it's only the poorest communities in the country that receive all of the dispersal of refugees and asylum seekers," Burnham told the media on Tuesday.

"I do believe all parts of the country need to [...] play their part," he added.

The government plans to accommodate up to 1,250 male asylum seekers at a former military site near Piddington, a village of around 400 residents in Oxfordshire. Local residents have opposed the plan, citing concerns over its scale and potential impact on the community.

Burnham's comments followed the arrival of 911 people in small boats over three days. On Monday, 230 people arrived aboard a single vessel, reportedly the highest number recorded on one boat, according to official figures.

Burnham has pledged to eventually stop the crossings but declined to set a deadline, saying it would be "wrong" to establish a timeline for achieving the goal.

Government figures show that nearly 100,000 people were receiving asylum support in Britain at the end of March, including more than 20,000 accommodated in hotels.

Immigration has become an increasingly contentious political issue in Britain, with the government facing growing voter dissatisfaction over its immigration policies while opposition parties have adopted tougher positions.

Protests have also erupted in several parts of the country over asylum accommodation and high-profile crimes involving migrants.

The issue comes amid Europe's broader migration crisis, which intensified in 2015 when more than one million people arrived on the continent, many from the Middle East and Africa.

Channel crossings have since become one of Britain's most prominent political and social issues.