Labour is now telling businesses that 15,000 people are expected to attend its conference next week, quietly cutting the figure from the 20,000 attendees it claimed would come last year. A 25% drop…
Last year the party’s commercial page told prospective attendees the conference had “more than 20,000 attendees including thousands of party members, MP’s [sic], media, business and council leaders“, and that “there has never been a better time to participate in what we expect to be our biggest conference to date“. It was never a good sign to have a grammatical mistake in the opening pitch to businesses…
In any case, both lines have now gone. The 2026 page now offers only “one of the largest political events in Europe“, with no figure at all. The only attendance number left on the commercial side of Labour’s website sits on the fringe hub, where the party advertises “15000+ Visitors”.
Any masochistic entrepreneur still interested in attending the more modest conference can do so for £3,035, with a day pass now costing £1,120. The complex pass, which doesn’t even get you into the hall at all, is £2,270 for the week. Each one includes a £5 carbon offsetting charge, so at least the planet is fine…
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Labour Conference kicks off this coming Sunday. The big concern at the top of the party is how to balance the chirpy chap optimism of Andy Burnham with the reality that has apparently only just dawned on Team Healey. Burnham’s pitch, found on the open page of the Conference guide, is to “bring back hope” and “get Britain believing again“. You’d think his predecessor was Emperor Palpatine based on how he talks about the last few years. Even though most of Burnham’s Cabinet is made up of the same people as Starmer’s…
Get Britain “believing” in what, exactly? It’s a question that has dogged Burnham since before he took office. If his Conference speech is a moment to answer that question, expect John Healey’s address the day before to offer a few terms and conditions. Yes, hope is good, but it doesn’t come cheap…
Talk of an early general election continues to surface, although the expected date varies from late November this year to next summer. Guido has long argued that the odds of going all the way to 2029 are slim, based on Burnham’s need to claim his own mandate, avoid the pain of making unpopular decisions early, and capitalise on a scattered right. The Mail on Sunday reported as much yesterday. At the time of going to pixel, it is unlikely Burnham will announce a big bang snap election date next week. What happens in Holborn and St Pancras on 8th October will inform his thinking…
Whatever the precise date may be, it is certainly on the minds of everyone heading to Liverpool next week. Outgoing Labour General Secretary Hollie Ridley even (who remains in post until October) makes explicit references to “Operation Second Term” in her Conference guide message. Funnily enough, Operation Second Term was the internal blueprint drawn up by Starmer’s No10 back in December 2025. Burnham’s team appears to have inherited it, much like everything else. ‘Believe’ in Continuity Keir Big Andy…
Speaking of Starmer, both he and Rachel Reeves are expected to miss next week’s circus. According to The Sunday Times, Reeves is still ‘considering’ her options after losing the keys to No11. One Labour source joked to Guido that she might change her mind and head up just to be a ‘pain in the backside’ like Rayner last year. She is at least invited to one fringe event discussing AI. Starmer has obviously already made up his mind…
The fringe events this year are the usual fare: Labour Friends of Israel are discussing ‘the battle to oust Bibi’, the EU ambassador is hosting a reception, and there are countless discussions about ‘Manchesterism’. The word “devolution” appears 43 times in the programme. Guido’s handy guide is coming soon. Although as of tonight, the number of times the word “(invited)” appears next to a speaker’s name is 162. In other words, lots of hosts still have no idea who is showing up to their event…
Labour has avoided an attack on the Tories’ new policy to restore tax-free shopping for foreigners. Was the government considering it itself…
Sunak as Chancellor scrapped the VAT Retail Export Scheme for non-EU visitors in 2021. It is now Tory policy to bring back the relief for non-EU visitors and extend that to EU visitors if the results are good. Labour has only attacked the Tories’ U-turn and criticised the party for failing to say in enough detail how it would be paid for. But no criticism of the policy itself…
The issue divides Labour figures. Recently ennobled Sadiq Khan called for the relief to be reintroduced this month, saying:
“London is a globally renowned tourist destination, but the decision to remove tax-free shopping by the previous Government was a huge mistake which has led to us trailing behind other European cities on visitor spending for too long.”
Last year Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she had heard “very loud and clear” calls from figures in the fashion industry to reinstate the relief and that the government would be “happy to look at the evidence.” Asked in parliament, Treasury ministers said the government “carefully considered external analysis estimating that a new tax-free shopping scheme would generate more revenue than cost for the Exchequer, as well as supporting data from a wide range of business stakeholders across the UK. However, these do not provide sufficient evidence that a new tax-free shopping scheme would have greater benefits to the UK than costs.” Something that could change with the analysis…
Businesses have welcomed the Tory policy. Did Badenoch spike one of the easy tax cuts Burnham put in his back pocket to justify further hikes?
The town of Barnham in Suffolk could now vote to leave the United Kingdom a la Piddington. It’s in the symbolic power of the Parish poll…
There are plans to house up to 1,250 asylum seekers at a MoD site near Thetford. The plans are strongly opposed by nearby residents…
Parish councillors are considering emulating the Piddington example – 90% voted to secede from the UK in protest – across the country. Burnham and the Labour government are promising to distribute predominantly male asylum seekers across Britain. Which towns and villages could be next – and could a new state be formed out of the leavers?
Urgent Crown Development application, validated 2 September 2026, representations closed 17 September 2026. Ten-year temporary use, 2027 to 2037, single adult men aged 18 to 65. Decided by the Secretary of State, not Cherwell District Council.
| Place | Population | Beds per resident | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| BlackthornOxon | ~300 | 4.2 to 1 | |
| PiddingtonOxon | 358 | 3.5 to 1 | |
| LauntonOxon | 1,375 | 0.913 to 1 | |
| Upper ArncottOxon | 1,660 | 0.757 to 1 | |
| AmbrosdenOxon | 2,736 | 0.459 to 1 | |
| BicesterOxon | ~40,000 | 0.031 to 1 |
Urgent Crown Development application submitted 23 July 2026 but not yet published on the MHCLG register, so no representation period has opened. Minimum ten years. Site lies within the Breckland Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation, which West Suffolk Council argues makes the proposal unlawful.
| Place | Population | Beds per resident | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| EustonSuffolk | 138 | 9.1 to 1 | |
| Fakenham MagnaSuffolk | ~167 | 7.5 to 1 | |
| ElvedenSuffolk | ~280 | 4.5 to 1 | |
| BarnhamSuffolk | 584 | 2.1 to 1 | |
| HoningtonSuffolk | ~1,472 | 0.849 to 1 | |
| BrandonSuffolk | ~10,000 | 0.125 to 1 | |
| ThetfordNorfolk | ~25,000 | 0.05 to 1 |
Announced 25 June 2026, minimum three years. A previous plan for 1,500 men was abandoned in 2022 after council legal action. The Linton-on-Ouse Action Group has reformed but says it will not copy the Piddington referendum.
| Place | Population | Beds per resident | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| AldwarkN Yorks | ~100 | 12 to 1 | |
| Shipton by BeningbroughN Yorks | ~450 | 2.7 to 1 | |
| Newton-on-OuseN Yorks | ~500 | 2.4 to 1 | |
| Linton-on-OuseN Yorks | ~700 | 1.7 to 1 | |
| TollertonN Yorks | ~900 | 1.3 to 1 | |
| EasingwoldN Yorks | ~4,500 | 0.267 to 1 |
Open since 12 July 2023 under a Special Development Order. Capacity rising from 766 to 1,245, with the government seeking to extend use beyond 2027. NAO projected a whole-life cost of around £338 million to 2027.
| Place | Population | Beds per resident | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShalfordEssex | ~700 | 1.8 to 1 | |
| WethersfieldEssex | 1,295 | 0.961 to 1 | |
| Great BardfieldEssex | 1,374 | 0.906 to 1 | |
| FinchingfieldEssex | 1,443 | 0.863 to 1 | |
| BraintreeEssex | ~46,000 | 0.027 to 1 |
First 27 men arrived 22 January 2026, scaling to between 500 and 600. The Home Office told Wealden District Council on 2 September 2026 that it intends to seek an extension to 2030 via an Urgent Crown Development application.
| Place | Population | Beds per resident | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| RotherfieldE Sussex | ~2,400 | 0.25 to 1 | |
| UckfieldE Sussex | ~15,000 | 0.04 to 1 | |
| CrowboroughE Sussex | ~21,000 | 0.029 to 1 |
Urgent Crown Development application for the initial triage and processing centre, a new reception centre and a Border Force training facility. Maximum 1,600 on site at any one time, including single women and families. A detained facility under short-term holding rules, not asylum accommodation.
| Place | Population | Beds per resident | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| ManstonKent | 1,975 | 0.81 to 1 | |
| MinsterKent | ~4,500 | 0.356 to 1 | |
| RamsgateKent | ~40,000 | 0.04 to 1 |
Six camps handed to the Home Office by MoD chiefs and reported in November 2025.
| Place | Population | Beds per resident | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| KnookWilts | ~77 | 6.5 to 1 | |
| Castlemartin villagePembs | ~147 | 3.4 to 1 | |
| BosherstonPembs | ~150 | 3.3 to 1 | |
| AnglePembs | ~180 | 2.8 to 1 | |
| East WrethamNorfolk | 396 | 1.3 to 1 | |
| Stackpole and CastlemartinPembs | 559 | 0.894 to 1 | |
| WarcopCumbria | 569 | 0.879 to 1 | |
| BroughCumbria | ~800 | 0.625 to 1 | |
| MundfordNorfolk | ~1,000 | 0.5 to 1 | |
| HeytesburyWilts | ~1,100 | 0.455 to 1 | |
| DeepcutSurrey | ~2,000 | 0.25 to 1 | |
| Appleby-in-WestmorlandCumbria | ~3,000 | 0.167 to 1 | |
| PirbrightSurrey | ~3,691 | 0.135 to 1 | |
| BrookwoodSurrey | ~4,000 | 0.125 to 1 | |
| WarminsterWilts | ~18,000 | 0.028 to 1 | |
Eight locations currently hold people under immigration powers, plus Haslar which is due to reopen in 2027. Campsfield and Haslar are both subject to live expansion applications decided by the Planning Inspectorate rather than the local council.
| Place | Population | Beds per resident | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| HarmondsworthHillingdon
Colnbrook IRC, 308 beds, built to Category B prison standard. Harmondsworth IRC adjoins it on the same bypass; its capacity is not published.
|
~6,000 | 0.051 to 1 | |
| HorleySurrey
Brook House IRC, capacity 450, plus Tinsley House IRC. Both at Gatwick.
|
~24,000 | 0.019 to 1 | |
| KidlingtonOxon
Campsfield IRC, reopened 1 December 2025. Expansion application CROWN/2026/0000004 goes to public inquiry on 6 October 2026.
|
~13,700 | 0.012 to 1 | |
| GosportHants
Haslar IRC, closed 2015, due to reopen in 2027 at 130 with an application to expand to 600. Consultation closed 6 August 2026.
|
~81,000 | 0.007 to 1 | |
| CrawleyW Sussex
Host borough for Brook House and Tinsley House.
|
~118,000 | 0.004 to 1 | |
| ClaphamBeds
Yarl’s Wood IRC, plus a screening facility. Capacity not published.
|
~1,300 | n/a | |
| BurnhopeCo Durham
Derwentside IRC. Capacity not published.
|
~1,500 | n/a | |
| ConsettCo Durham
Nearest town to Derwentside.
|
~27,000 | n/a | |
| StrathavenS Lanarkshire
Dungavel House IRC. Capacity not published.
|
~7,500 | n/a | |
| DoverKent
Western Jet Foil and the Kent Intake Unit. Short-stay arrivals processing.
|
~31,000 | n/a |
Sites the Home Office has abandoned, cancelled or handed on. Every one of them could be revived. Linton-on-Ouse was dropped in 2022, and returned in 2026. Ratios use the last figure each site was proposed at.
| Place | Population | Beds per resident | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| ScamptonLincs
Cancelled September 2024 after costs reached around £27 million against a £5 million forecast. Capped at 800 from an original 2,000.
|
~1,000 | 0.8 to 1 | |
| ScottowNorfolk
Former RAF Coltishall. Plans lodged for 200 Afghan refugees.
|
~1,000 | 0.2 to 1 | |
| PortlandDorset
Bibby Stockholm removed in late 2024 after legionella contamination and a death on board. The berth remains.
|
~13,000 | 0.038 to 1 | |
| Bexhill-on-SeaE Sussex
Northeye. Bought for £15.4 million, found unsuitable, transferred to Homes England on 16 February 2026.
|
~40,000 | 0.03 to 1 | |
| FolkestoneKent
Napier Barracks. Emptied 19 December 2025, handed to Taylor Wimpey in March 2026.
|
~50,000 | 0.007 to 1 | |
| InvernessHighland
Cameron Barracks. Ruled out in June 2026 after six months of assessment concluded HMO licensing prevented its use.
|
~47,000 | 0.006 to 1 | |
| Catterick GarrisonN Yorks
Announced March 2023 in the then Prime Minister’s constituency. Never delivered, no capacity ever published.
|
~13,000 | n/a |
The Home Office has confirmed it is pursuing roughly 800 sites that are neither hotels nor military bases, including disused care homes and vacant student accommodation. Locations are not published.
| Place | Population | Beds per resident | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| StaffordStaffs
Former university halls at Beaconside. Refused by the council in July 2022 on grounds including fear of crime, taken to appeal by Serco.
|
~70,000 | 0.007 to 1 | |
| HuddersfieldW Yorks
Former student accommodation. One of the four original large sites costed by the NAO in March 2024.
|
~145,000 | n/a | |
| LeedsW Yorks
Home Office sought a certificate of lawful development to convert a student block to non-student use.
|
~500,000 | n/a | |
| BridgwaterSomerset
Holiday Inn, closed as asylum accommodation in the August 2026 tranche.
|
~41,000 | n/a |
Fewer than 160 hotels remain in use, down from more than 400 at peak. The Home Office names every hotel it closes and none of the ones it keeps open. A typical asylum hotel holds between 100 and 400 people.
| Place | Population | Beds per resident | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeenhotel in use | not published | ||
| Altrinchamhotel in use | not published | ||
| Bowthorpehotel in use | not published | ||
| Bristolhotel in use | not published | ||
| Canary Wharfhotel in use | not published | ||
| Cannockhotel in use | not published | ||
| County Antrimhotel in use | not published | ||
| Disshotel in use | not published | ||
| Exeterhotel in use | not published | ||
| Falkirkhotel in use | not published | ||
| Horleyhotel in use | not published | ||
| Liverpoolhotel in use | not published | ||
| Moldhotel in use | not published | ||
| Newcastlehotel in use | not published | ||
| Northamptonhotel in use | not published | ||
| Nuneatonhotel in use | not published | ||
| Perthhotel in use | not published | ||
| Stanwellhotel in use | not published | ||
| Tamworthhotel in use | not published | ||
| Wakefieldhotel in use | not published | ||
| Ashfordhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Birminghamhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Blackpoolhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Bradfordhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Bridgwaterhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Chelmsfordhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Cheltenhamhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Cheshunthotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Dunstablehotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Eppinghotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Halehotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Hitchinhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Lewishamhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Loughboroughhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Northallertonhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Norwichhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Nottinghamhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Readinghotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Sandbachhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Stratford-upon-Avonhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Wembleyhotel closed 2026 | closed | ||
| Wolverhamptonhotel closed 2026 | closed |
The Guardian’s HQ is reportedly infested with an army of bed bugs, with pest controllers called in this afternoon to exterminate the critters. An earlier attempt to deep clean the premises failed…
Staff have been encouraged to work from home in the meantime if they’d rather not put up with the bugs. An internal email concedes “we appreciate this might be unsettling for some staff”, which does suggest there are at least some Guardian hacks who have no problem working in an office stuffed with parasites. Usually just reading the Guardian is enough to make anyone’s skin crawl…
Andy Burnham will speak to the Prime Minister of Mauritius about the Chagos deal prior to his meeting with Trump tomorrow at the UN General Assembly. Priorities…
Mauritian PM Navin Ramgoolam has told reporters in Port Louis that he plans to hold talks over the phone with Burnham this afternoon about implementing the Chagos surrender deal. There have also been suggestions that the Mauritians are planning to exercise broader pressure on the UK at UNGA in New York from tomorrow…
Nigel Farage said: “I have it on good authority that the PM will tomorrow at midday be speaking to the Mauritian Prime Minister.” It is unclear whether Ramgoolam or Mauritian representatives will meet Burnham in New York in person…
The deal was pulled out of Parliament after Trump made the force of US opposition to it clear in April this year. As Guido revealed Burnham is still committed to it in public. Is Andy taking his lines from Mauritius before the Trump showdown?
UPDATE: A Downing Street spokesperson said:
“The Prime Minister spoke with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Navin Ramgoolam, this afternoon.
The Prime Minister began by setting out his intention for the UK and Mauritius to work closely together.
He noted the clear benefits the two countries could bring to each other across a range of shared objectives, including tackling climate change, combatting illicit finance, and boosting growth and trade, as they looked to create opportunities for people at home.
Turning to the future of the military base on Diego Garcia, the Prime Minister underlined his commitment to working with Mauritius and the United States on a way forward that secures the operation of the base and protects UK national security.
The two leaders agreed to stay in close contact, with the Prime Minister adding that he hoped the UK Foreign Secretary and Mauritian Foreign Minister Ramful would be able to meet this week at UNGA to further strengthen the relationship between the UK and Mauritius.”
Andy Haldane, Burnham’s recent adviser on the economy who has not taken up a No10 job, told Andrew Marr on LBC:
“The market now suspects that this is a traditional tax-and-spend socialist government with better TikTok videos…
imposing windfall taxes on oil & gas or on banks or upping capital gains tax would […] repeat the mistake that Rachel made […] The Achilles heel, the fiscal Achilles heel of this government thus far has been its unwillingness and/or inability to cut public spending.”