Migrants could soon be held in warehouses as Labour scrambles to end asylum seeker hotels before its self-imposed deadline.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said plans to house migrants in "modular buildings" and at old industrial sites are under discussion.
While Downing Street had indicated the Government is considering introducing new digital ID cards in a bid to crack down on small boat crossings, a spokesman stopped short of saying whether it would consider introducing compulsory national identification cards.
Sir Keir gathered ministers in Cabinet last night to plan action on going "further and faster" on tackling illegal migration.
When she was pressed on an example of an industrial site that could be utilised for the scheme, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that warehouses were "one of the things being looked at".
She had earlier suggested to broadcasters that the Government is confident it can speed up efforts to empty the hotels before its self-imposed deadline of the end of the Parliament.
But she appeared at odds with Downing Street when she failed to guarantee that returns under the Government’s "one-in, one-out" deal with France would begin in September.
In contrast, the PM’s spokesman was confident returns would start within the month, telling reporters: "We fully expect that to happen."
Migrants could be homed in warehouses under the plans
|PA
Ms Cooper announced the existing refugee family reunion route will be suspended this week as a new measure to limit migration.
Labour is also seeking to crack down on international students claiming asylum once their visas come to an end.
The Home Office is launching a new campaign where, for the first time, it will directly contact international students and their families by email or text, warning them they must leave if they have no right to remain.
Nearly 10,000 students and dependents were contacted last week, and tens of thousands more are expected to receive the guidance in the coming weeks before their visas expire.
The message also warns an asylum claim that lacks merit will be "swiftly and robustly refused".
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Yvette Cooper has previously bragged to GB News of her latest crackdown on immigration
| GB NewsLabour MP for Hendon David Pinto-Duschinsky said he "didn't accept" the accusation that Labour had fallen into sloganism.
He told GB News: "The treaty will be in operation in the coming weeks. It's starting as a pilot, you would expect us to do that. But as it gets embedded, we can then look to expand.
"This is something the Conservatives try to do time and time and time again and failed. It's something a Labour government's delivering.
"Similarly with smashing the gangs, we've got to have an honest conversation about what is actually causing this problem.
"And the issues we've seen over the summer reflect the fact that gang criminality embedded so deeply in smuggling people across the channel under the last Government.
"And this isn't about gimmicks and slogans. It's about actually doing the hard graft of the serious policy answers that will make a difference."
WATCH: Nana Akua clashes with Labour MP David Pinto-Duchinsky
The topic of accommodation for asylum seekers has been a flashpoint, with focus being placed on The Bell Hotel in Epping, after a resident asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month. He has denied the charges.
Yesterday, the Court of Appeal refused an application from Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court against the former court’s ruling allowing asylum seekers to continue to be housed at the hotel
The council was granted an interim injunction to stop 138 asylum seekers being housed there before a successful Court of Appeal challenge from the Home Office and the hotel’s owners, Somani Hotels, overturned the High Court ruling.
EFDC said "no reasons were given" following its unsuccessful application for permission to appeal the most recent judgment, with the council now open to ask the Supreme Court itself for the green light.
Protesters have been taking to the streets in Epping in their continued demonstration against the hotel | PAMs Cooper defended the Home Office’s legal challenge to ensure the Bell Hotel in Epping remained open by overturning a temporary closure injunction obtained by the local council.
She said the Government needed to ensure there was an orderly closure of hotels, rather than chaotic piecemeal shutdowns.
Talking about the migrant return scheme, she told Sky: "I've always said from the very beginning on this, it's a pilot scheme and it needs to build up over time."