Channel migrants faced being housed in cabins from Qatar’s World Cup fan village under abandoned Government plan

• Home Office considered housing Channel migrants in cabins from Qatar 
• Discussions were held buying shipping containers from World Cup fan village
• Government is trying to slash £5m-a-day cost of housing 40,000 asylum seekers
• But the idea was reportedly abandoned because the huts were ‘too low quality’

The Home Office considered housing Channel migrants in cabins from Qatar’s much-derided World Cup fan village.

It explored the idea of buying the shipping container-style units as a way of cutting the £5million-a-day cost of keeping more than 40,000 asylum seekers in hotels.

The units could have been shipped to an undisclosed location in the UK. But the idea was abandoned because the huts were ‘too low quality’, The Daily Telegraph reported.

A Home Office spokesman said: ‘The number arriving in the UK who seek asylum and require accommodation has reached record levels. It is right that the Government explores a range of options.’

The Home Office explored the idea of buying the shipping container-style units as a way of cutting the £5million-a-day cost of keeping more than 40,000 asylum seekers in hotels 

Football fans complained about conditions in the £170-a-night rooms in several ‘villages’ constructed in the outskirts of Doha.

The units offered a double or twin en-suite room, but some came without air conditioning and some occupants experienced problems with the plumbing.

The official website for the fan village described the units as ‘practical, ‘cabin-style’ and ‘casual’ accommodation’.

In a separate development, immigration minister Robert Jenrick yesterday welcomed the High Court’s backing of the Rwanda asylum deal as a ‘major step forward’.

The policy will see Channel migrants sent on a one-way trip to Rwanda to claim asylum there instead of in the UK.

A trade union and three pro-migrant groups brought judicial reviews which alleged the scheme is unlawful.

But on Monday, senior judges rejected the claims. Potential appeals against the decision are expected to be lodged next month.

In an article for the ConservativeHome website, Mr Jenrick wrote: ‘The High Court’s judgement earlier this week marks a major step forward in our plans to deter illegal migration and we are focused on moving ahead with the policy as soon as possible.’

It came after Suella Braverman revealed the cost of housing asylum seekers has rocketed to £3.5billion a year.

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