According to court documents, the UK is expecting 56,000 migrants to cross the Channel in small boats this year, potentially requiring accommodation for up to 140,000 asylum seekers.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping boat arrivals a priority after a surge in numbers, with over 45,000 migrants arriving on the south coast of England in 2022 alone.

The government has estimated that it was already accommodating over 109,000 asylum seekers as of March, with 48,000 in hotels at a daily cost of £6.2m ($7.7m). Plans are based on scenarios of up to 56,000 arrivals this year, the court documents said.

The UK government has faced criticism from some Conservative-run councils over plans to accommodate migrants in disused sites in their areas, including military bases or large barges. Photo by Mstyslav Chernov/Unframe, Wikimedia commons.