The number of asylum seekers living in government-funded hotels has climbed in Labour’s first year in office, intensifying political pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to stem the growing wave of dangerous Channel crossings.
Home Office figures published this week show that 32,059 migrants are currently in hotel accommodation – up eight per cent on the same point last year. While the figure has fallen sharply from the peak of more than 56,000 under the Conservatives in September 2023, the rise has given opponents fresh ammunition.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp branded ministers “weak” for presiding over more asylum seekers in hotels than at the time of the general election. Former Tory immigration minister Robert Jenrick went further, warning that Britain was “well past breaking point.” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said “the public is right to be very angry.”
The latest data comes after the High Court this week banned the use of the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, for housing asylum seekers, ruling the site had become a “feeding ground for unrest” following violent protests. The government now faces a potential wave of similar legal challenges from councils seeking to block hotels in their communities.
Record Numbers Arriving
The wider picture reveals the scale of the challenge facing Labour. A record 111,084 people lodged asylum claims in the year to June – the highest annual total since records began in 2001. Of these, 39 per cent came via small boat crossings, which have already exceeded 50,000 this year.
The figures also highlight other routes: 6,700 asylum claims were lodged by people who first arrived on student visas, while 5,900 were from those who came to work. The largest number of applicants came from Pakistan, followed by Afghanistan and Iran.
Charities and think tanks have warned that hotels remain an expensive sticking plaster. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said:
> “There are still far too many people in hotels. Everyone agrees hotels are the wrong answer – they cost the taxpayer billions, trap people in limbo and are flashpoints in communities.”
Hotels alone cost the government £2.1bn in 2024–25.
Labour’s Defence: Backlogs Down, Deportations Up
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper insisted the government had made real progress, despite the rise in claims. She pointed to a sharp reduction in the asylum backlog, with 70,532 people awaiting decisions in June, down from more than 90,000 at the end of 2024.
The previous Conservative government had effectively paused processing cases while waiting to launch its failed Rwanda deportation scheme, leaving tens of thousands in limbo.
> “We inherited a broken immigration and asylum system left in chaos by the Conservatives,” Ms Cooper said. “Labour has strengthened Britain’s visa and immigration controls, cut asylum costs, and sharply increased enforcement and returns.”
Official figures show enforced deportations have surged by 25 per cent to 9,072 in the past year, while voluntary returns rose 13 per cent to 26,761. Assisted returns – where migrants are given financial help to leave – more than doubled to 9,227.
The government has also stepped up removals of foreign criminals, with 5,265 offenders deported, around half of them EU nationals. Ministers say specialist enforcement teams are now working inside prisons to speed up removals.
Political Divide Over Next Steps
Despite the uptick in returns, opposition MPs say Labour is failing to get ahead of the crisis. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has even suggested setting up migrant camps away from local communities to reduce tensions.
Think tank analysts argue that the government has improved processing times but must improve decision quality, noting that nearly half of asylum appeals succeed. Marley Morris of the Institute for Public Policy Research said:
> “There are signs of progress, but the Home Office must raise the quality of initial decisions and expand temporary accommodation to reduce reliance on hotels.”
For now, the government remains committed to ending the use of asylum hotels entirely by the end of this parliament – a promise that will define whether Sir Keir Starmer’s immigration policy is judged as reform or failure.
