Home Office Won't Rule Out More Migrant Landings in Gosport Amid Protests

The Home Office has declined to rule out the possibility of further Channel migrant landings in Gosport or Portsmouth, despite strong local opposition and protests. This stance has led to concerns about potential renewed unrest in the Hampshire area.

Dinghies carrying migrants have crossed from Normandy to the UK three times in the last six weeks. On two of these occasions, migrants were brought ashore in Hampshire, where they were met by hundreds of anti-migrant demonstrators. The increased police presence and management of these incidents have resulted in an estimated £800,000 policing bill for Hampshire Police.

In response to the growing concerns, Gosport Borough Council passed a motion requesting that the town be excluded from any future migrant disembarkations. However, the Home Office has not provided assurances that this will be the case, raising the prospect of further local backlash.

A Home Office spokesperson stated that there are currently no plans to process migrants at Fort Blockhouse, a former military site in Gosport. Instead, arrivals are to be taken to the main processing center at Manston, near Dover, for security, identification, and health checks. The spokesperson confirmed that the Home Office has established contingency plans for small boat arrivals in Hampshire but declined to offer further details on operational procedures or these plans. The department indicated that, when feasible, it aims to engage with relevant local authorities and operational partners in advance of landings.

Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones has formally complained to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood regarding the financial burden of managing regular anti-migrant protests. Jones has urged the Home Secretary to ensure that such landings do not become a regular occurrence in the local area.

Jones noted that she had not yet received a response to an initial letter sent after the first incident on September 6. On that occasion, hundreds of protesters gathered in Portsmouth to impede coaches carrying 140 migrants from Eastney Landing. Approximately two weeks later, masked protesters assembled at Gosport marina following reports of expected migrant arrivals. The most recent incident occurred on October 4, when 149 migrants were brought into Gosport via two RNLI lifeboats after a journey from Normandy.

Jones has requested details on discussions between the Home Secretary and her French counterpart, particularly concerning the potential deployment of additional French resources to prevent crossings from Normandy to Hampshire. The Police and Crime Commissioner argued that Gosport is not a secure location for landing boats and that its peninsular geography makes access routes easily blockable. She expressed concern that continuing to use Gosport for landings could jeopardize public and police safety. Jones has advocated for the Home Office to identify alternative sites or, preferably, to secure French authorities' cooperation in preventing illegal crossings at the source.

Her recommendation to the Home Secretary is to ensure UK Border Force possesses adequate vessels to transfer individuals to Dover directly from the water, thereby avoiding landings in Hampshire or on the Isle of Wight.

Several individuals have faced legal consequences for their involvement in the protests. Del Somerville, 42, received a two-year prison sentence for violent disorder, while Deano Ryan, 22, and Justin Dixon, 50, were given suspended sentences for the same offense. Shannon Dodds, 32, and Sally Pearson, 31, also received suspended sentences after pleading guilty to assaulting police officers.

Separately, Gosport is also home to the Haslar Immigration Removal Centre, which is undergoing a significant expansion to accommodate 600 beds. The Home Office is proceeding with plans to reopen and expand the facility despite considerable local opposition. Seven job positions are currently being advertised for the center, involving direct work with detained migrants, including case updates and welfare monitoring.

This expansion marks a substantial step toward reopening the former detention center, which ceased operations in 2015. The initial phase of the Home Office's plan will create capacity for 130 detainees, with a subsequent phase intended to increase the total to 600 across three-story accommodation blocks. The Home Office's recruitment materials describe the positions as opportunities to make a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals in immigration detention.