Cameron barracks asylum plans 'made up on back of an envelope' - Swinney

A plan to house asylum seekers in Cameron Barracks in Inverness has been delayed

The first minister has accused the Home Office of making up its plans to house asylum seekers in a Highland barracks "on the back of an envelope".

John Swinney made the remarks the day after plans to place 300 men in Cameron Barracks in Inverness by early December were delayed.

He also accused some people who protested outside the barracks of "expressing racist views" - but later said members of the public had legitimate questions about the plans and that the Home Office had not engaged properly with Scottish authorities.

The Home Office said it wanted to avoid rushed plans leading to "unsafe and chaotic situations".

It said it would proceed when facilities were "fully operational and safe".

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland's Breakfast programme ahead of an anti-racism rally in Glasgow, Swinney said: "I think the Cameron barracks announcement of several weeks ago and the abrupt nature of it, and then the abrupt nature of the about-turn yesterday indicates that frankly, this has all been made up on the back of an envelope."

He said the delay of the plans demonstrated the Home Office's "recognition of reality".

"The Home Office said that they didn't want to preside over a chaotic and unsafe approach – that's exactly what they are presiding over," Swinney added.

"They hadn't in any way, shape or form engaged properly as they should have, with Highland Council or with the Scottish government."

Swinney spoke to the programme before he attended an anti-racism march in Glasgow organised by the Scottish Trade Unions Congress (STUC)

Both Cameron Barracks and the Crowborough army training camp in East Sussex were earmarked earlier this year as potential temporary asylum seeker accommodation.

In East Sussex, the local authority Wealden District Council passed a motion formally opposing the Crowborough proposal.

Highland Council also raised concerns over the scale of the barracks plans and pressures on local services.

The 140-year-old base, near Inverness city centre, was previously used to house families fleeing Afghanistan.

The Home Office said it still planned to "accelerate" the movement of people.

But it said it would not do so at the expense of the safety of local communities.

Widespread protests against the housing of asylum seekers in hotels erupted across the UK in the summer, including demonstrations outside hotels in Perth, Falkirk and Aberdeenshire.

At least one protester was seen performing a Nazi salute while another carried a banner that said "Kill 'Em All, Let God Sort 'Em Out" at one protest in Falkirk.

Union and saltire flags have also been erected at locations across Scotland in recent weeks, and this has been linked to anti-immigration sentiment.

Flags were flown near Cameron Barracks in October, which Highland Council said it would remove as it had a "zero-tolerance" approach to unauthorised signs, stickers and banners on its lampposts.

Asked whether protests outside hotels or Cameron Barracks were racist, Swinney said that some protesters were "expressing racist views".

He added: "Yes they are, you can see it on the banners that they are holding.

"That is of deep concern to me, it's also why many members of the public use their time to protest against these individuals who are attacking those who are in asylum hotels.

"It's important that we call out racism where we see it in society, that we're crystal clear on it, and some of the people who are protesting outside asylum hotels and facilities are expressing racist views."

People demonstrating at an Abolish Asylum System protest outside the Radisson Hotel in Perth in August

Swinney added that members of the public had questions about asylum housing plans - such as healthcare arrangements for asylum seekers.

The UK government announced on Friday that asylum seekers would be banned from using taxis for medical appointments from February.

It comes after a BBC investigation found some people had travelled long distances by taxis or minicabs, with one asylum seeker saying they went on a 250-mile cab journey to a GP, costing the Home Office £600.

Swinney said: "People have got to get to medical appointments. You've got to have accessible healthcare services for asylum seekers.

"Don't send asylum seekers to places where it's impossible for them to access public services because what you will then do is feed stories like the one you've just put to me, where the Home Office are making a big song and dance about clamping down on taxi use when in fact it's the chaotic arrangements of the Home Office that have fuelled that in the first place."

A Home Office spokesperson previously said: "We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels.

"Moving to large military sites is an important part of our reforms to remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to Britain.

"We are continuing to accelerate plans to move people into Cameron Barracks, when it is fully operational and safe.

"We will continue to work closely with local representatives and authorities throughout this transition."