The Liberal Democrats have thrown down the gauntlet on immigration and policing, calling for the UK government to invoke emergency wartime powers to tackle the mounting asylum backlog and overhaul community policing. Speaking at their annual conference in Bournemouth, party leaders outlined a bold, two-pronged approach: use the Civil Contingencies Act to set up temporary "Nightingale processing centres" for asylum claims and introduce police desks in everyday public spaces to reconnect officers with local communities.
At the heart of the Liberal Democrats' immigration proposal is the Civil Contingencies Act—a law typically reserved for national emergencies, such as war or major disasters. According to BBC reporting, Lisa Smart, the party’s home affairs spokesperson, made the case for deploying these extraordinary powers, arguing that the current asylum backlog constitutes a crisis worthy of urgent intervention. "We want the government to get a grip on this. Using the Civil Contingencies Act is one way of doing that," Smart told reporters, emphasizing the need for swift, decisive action.
The numbers behind the crisis are stark. As of the end of June 2025, approximately 70,500 asylum cases were still awaiting an initial decision, a significant reduction from the 134,000 cases pending at the same point in 2023, according to official government statistics cited by BBC. While the government has made headway, the backlog remains substantial, and thousands of asylum seekers continue to be housed in hotels at considerable expense to taxpayers and strain on local communities.
The Liberal Democrats’ solution? Establishing temporary Nightingale processing centres—named in the spirit of the emergency hospitals set up during the COVID-19 pandemic—to accelerate the handling of asylum applications. The party proposes doubling the number of asylum case workers from 2,000 to 4,000, aiming to process claims "far more quickly." As Smart put it, "We want to see Nightingale processing centres set up, increase the number of case workers processing those applications from 2,000 to 4,000, process those applications far more quickly." She insisted this approach was the "right thing to do" not only for asylum seekers living in limbo but also for the communities hosting them and for taxpayers footing the bill.
But the party’s vision goes further. The Liberal Democrats want to end the ban on asylum seekers working—a restriction that often leaves people idle and dependent on state support for months, if not years. By allowing asylum seekers to work and moving them from hotels into their own accommodation, the party hopes to create what it calls a more "humane" system. They argue this reform would benefit everyone: asylum seekers could contribute to the economy, local communities would see less pressure on housing and services, and the government could reduce the cost of hotel accommodation. The government, for its part, has pledged to end the use of asylum hotels by 2029 at the latest, but the Liberal Democrats contend that their plan would speed up the process and deliver better outcomes.
Law and order also took center stage at the Bournemouth conference. The Liberal Democrats are pushing for police desks to be opened in supermarkets, libraries, and other public spaces—an idea designed to make police more visible and accessible. "People don’t see the police often enough," Smart told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, adding, "It shouldn’t be as hard as it is to give evidence." In her conference speech, Smart lamented that "too many crimes go unreported and unsolved," arguing that her plan would bring police "back into the heart of communities."
The proposed police desks would not replace full police stations but would allow members of the public to report crimes and share information more easily. The party’s "police desk promise" would see at least one counter opened in every local council area across England and Wales. The Liberal Democrats have not specified an exact number of new counters, but they envision a network that is far more extensive than current engagement centres or pop-up desks, which are sometimes set up by neighbourhood police teams in community centres or libraries.
Funding for the scheme, the party says, would come from abolishing police and crime commissioners (PCCs)—a move they estimate would save more than £100 million over four years, based on figures from 2019 to 2023. According to BBC analysis, the party would redirect some of these savings to rural crime teams. The Labour government has already announced plans to transfer PCC responsibilities to a new wave of elected mayors in the coming years, signaling a shift in how local policing is overseen.
The Liberal Democrats’ proposals come at a time when access to traditional police stations is shrinking. Almost half of London’s remaining police station front counters are set to close in a bid to save costs, with the Metropolitan Police having begun this process back in 2013. London’s Labour mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, had previously promised to keep at least one 24-hour counter open in each of the city’s 32 boroughs. However, as reported by BBC, Khan reversed this pledge last week, arguing that the counters were used by "very few people" and that the £7 million in savings would be better spent on an improved command and control centre.
Some police forces have experimented with installing touch-screen terminals in supermarkets to boost crime reporting rates, but the Liberal Democrats believe their desk initiative would go further by providing a human presence and fostering trust. The party is betting that increased visibility and accessibility will help tackle the persistent problem of unreported and unsolved crimes, while also restoring public confidence in policing.
Of course, the Liberal Democrats’ proposals are not without controversy. Using the Civil Contingencies Act for immigration processing is an unconventional move, typically reserved for emergencies of a different kind. Critics may question whether the asylum backlog truly rises to the level of a national emergency. Others might argue that the closure of police counters is a pragmatic response to changing patterns of public engagement, especially as more people report crimes online or by phone.
Yet, as the conference in Bournemouth made clear, the Liberal Democrats believe the status quo is untenable. Their call for emergency powers and community-based policing is a direct response to what they see as systemic failures—both in the treatment of asylum seekers and in the visibility of law enforcement. Whether their proposals gain traction remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the debate over how Britain manages immigration and public safety is far from over.
As the country grapples with these complex challenges, the Liberal Democrats have staked out a position that is both ambitious and provocative—demanding not just incremental change, but a fundamental rethink of how the government responds to crisis and how police serve the public.
