Army teams are set to help construct migrant camps in an effort to tackle small boat crossings.

Logistics teams with a background in building war barracks are said to be preparing plans to open the facilities.

The camps could provide an alternative to asylum hotels, which Labour has pledged to close by 2029.

The number of migrant arrivals on small boats has topped 34,000 in 2025 so far, marking a record for this point in the year since data on Channel crossings was first reported in 2018.

Former military sites including RAF Wethersfield in Essex are already being used to house asylum seekers

“We are acknowledging there are people who are ‘asylum shopping’ across the continent, looking for the country that offers the most," a Government source told The Sun.

“We have been criticised in this country for being too generous — creating a pull factor.

"Today, the Government is showing that we get it, that we have been overly generous, and that we will reduce the pull factors that see thousands attempting small boat crossings.”

Sir Keir Starmer will today hold talks at the European Political Community (EPC) summit on Government plans to end automatic family union rights for those granted asylum in Britain and change the requirements for long-term settlement.

He is also set to discuss how European countries can work together to tackle illegal migration.