Home Office plans to use RAF Scampton as migrant housing SCRAPPED and will save British taxpayers millions

The plans had been controversial with nearby residents protesting against the proposals.

The Government has already spent £60million on the site. The Home Office said that it would begin closing the site immediately with the aim of selling it off.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Angela Eagle, said: "Faster asylum processing, increased returns and tighter enforcement of immigration rules will reduce demand for accommodation like Scampton and save millions for the taxpayer as we drive forward work to clear the asylum backlog and strengthen our border security.

"We have also listened to community feedback and concerns about using this site for asylum accommodation."

Conservative MP for Gainsborough, which covers Scampton, Sir Edward Leigh said: "Victory: the two-year battle is over. We have won.

"Migrants will not be housed at Scampton and the site will be released 'as soon as is practicable.' We want the full regeneration package to go ahead, and the site not just sold for housing."

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The local council wants to launch a £300million regeneration of the site, which closed in 2022, that would include air, space, education and hospitality facilities, as well as a museum and a memorial.

The plans were met with opposition from the outset as it threatened a £300million deal by West Lindsey District Council aimed at turning the base into a heritage site.

The airfield is the former home of The Red Arrows aerobatics display team and the Dambusters - the squadron that carried out one of the Second World War's most iconic air raids.

It comes after the Government scrapped the controversial Rwanda plan, a policy championed by the Tories in government aimed at deterring migrants from crossing the channel in small boats.

A Downing Street spokesperson said a new head of Border Security Command will be named within a week as the latest figures showed 257 migrants crossed the English Channel on Wednesday.

Officials insisted the Government was taking action, including boosting National Crime Agency (NCA) resources devoted to the problem, as the number of people making the journey in small boats reached almost 22,000 so far this year.

The Home Office promised a "rapid" recruitment process for the border security commander within days of Labour’s election win in July, but two months on there has been no announcement.