Government vows to end asylum hotels amid claims more could be used

Downing Street has insisted the Government is “committed” to ending the use of asylum hotels amid claims the Home Office is considering reopening some previously closed by the Conservatives.

Labour vowed in its manifesto to stop housing migrants in taxpayer-funded hotels but stands accused of seeking to use more.

Shadow home secretary James Cleverly said: “The last Conservative government closed 150 asylum hotels and had flights ready to go to Rwanda.

“But Labour scrapped our deterrent on day one and are now reopening asylum hotels costing upwards of £4 million every day – and breaking yet another promise they made to the British people.”

The Home Office is understood to be reviewing the hotels being used to house asylum seekers. But the department would not confirm if it is seeking to use more or reopen any of those previously closed.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “As the Government has said previously, we inherited an asylum system in chaos, with tens of thousands stuck in a backlog as people were actively not processed by the previous government.

“What we are doing is surging returns and processing the backlog. We’ve redeployed 300 staff, we’ve returned 3,600 individuals with no right to be here.

“Clearly, this is going to take time, and we regularly review our use of asylum accommodation because, as set out in the manifesto, we’re committed to ending the use of asylum hotels and saving the taxpayer billions of pounds.”

A Home Office source said Labour “inherited a chaotic landscape of expensive hotel contracts, large sites and dispersed accommodation”, adding: “We have started processing asylum claims, which had ground to a halt under the Tories, leading to a record asylum backlog and a £5 billion black hole in the Home Office budget.

“The Home Office regularly reviews our asylum accommodation footprint to reduce costs, build flexibility and deliver value for money for taxpayers.”

More than 27,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year.

Home Office figures show 176 arrived in three boats on Tuesday, taking the provisional total for 2024 to date to 27,509.

This is up 6% on this time last year (25,931) but 26% down on the same period in 2022 (37,099), PA news agency analysis of government data shows.

Since Labour won the general election in July, 13,935 arrivals have been recorded – lower than the equivalent periods last year and in 2022.

A Home Office spokesman said the Government is “determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly” and it was “committed to speeding up the asylum process” by taking “urgent action to restart processing and clear the backlog, which will save an estimated £7 billion for the taxpayer over the next 10 years”.

There has also been a “major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK”, he added.