Home Office abandons Inverness barracks asylum plan after eight-month local campaign

The UK Home Office has dropped its plan to house up to 300 asylum seekers at Cameron Barracks, an MOD site in Inverness. The decision, confirmed by a minister to SNP MP Angus MacDonald on 25 June, ends a dispute that began in October 2025. Highland Council's sustained opposition—formal letters, public statements, calls for dialogue—appears to have shifted the calculation, despite lacking formal veto power. Legal risks and the logistical challenges of urban siting also weighed against the scheme.