Scampton campaigners ask PM to 'stick to his word'

The previous government planned to house hundreds of asylum seekers at the former RAF base

Campaigners in Lincolnshire have said they will push the new prime minister to “stick to his word” over the future of the former RAF Scampton base.

The previous government had planned to use the site to house asylum seekers but Sir Keir Starmer told BBC Radio Lincolnshire in October that he would act "straight away" to stop the scheme if Labour won the general election.

Sarah Carter, from Save Our Scampton, said they were “already getting ready to put pressure" on the PM.

The Home Office said new Home Secretary Yvette Cooper would "decide on the future of current Home Office policies in due course".

Ms Carter has lived in the village near Lincoln for almost 10 years and has been campaigning against the asylum plan since it was announced in 2023.

She added: “It’s too much of a hot topic to ignore us. Sir Keir Starmer had already promised that it wasn’t a good idea and he’d get it stopped.

“I’m hoping he’ll stick to his word and get it stopped before it goes any further.

“We’re reminding him you’ve said this now go on and deal with it."

The RAF closed the site in March 2023 after being in operation since World War One.

It was home to the Red Arrows display team and was the base for the Dambuster bomber squadron, which destroyed a number of industrial dams in Germany during the Second World War.

The proposal to use the base to house asylum seekers had been subject to protests and to a number of unsuccessful legal challenges by West Lindsey District Council.

The council was one of two councils to oppose Home Office plans to house asylum seekers at former RAF bases.

Braintree District Council in Essex had made a similar complaint in relation to plans for land that once formed part of RAF Wethersfield.

However, on 6 December 2023, a High Court judge ruled in favour of asylum seekers being allowed to be housed at the Lincolnshire site.

Sarah Carter, from Save Our Scampton, said they would "put pressure" on Sir Keir Starmer

Sir Keir told the BBC in 2023 that the original plan to house hundreds of asylum seekers was "disrespectful" to the local community.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: "We are determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly; and ensures the rules are properly enforced."

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