Labour could be forced to reopen asylum hotels as migrant numbers surge – despite manifesto pledges to ‘end’ the policy and save the taxpayer ‘billions’_Nhy
Thousands of extra hotel beds for migrants are set to be hired in a major humiliation for the Labour government.
The Home Office faces the prospect of splurging taxpayers’ money on additional accommodation amid rising levels of Channel small-boat arrivals.
Some migrant hotels previously closed by the last Conservative government could be re-opened, sources told Times Radio.
It amounts to an embarrassing U-turn for Labour, whose election manifesto pledged to ‘end asylum hotels, saving the taxpayer billions of pounds’.
The Home Office declined to comment last night and has refused to give up-to-date figures on how many asylum seekers are in hotels.
Latest official data showed that at the end of June the total stood at 29,585.
Since then, just over 14,000 migrants have arrived across the Channel, most of whom will have been housed in hotels, suggesting the current total is more than 40,000.
At its peak there were 56,000 migrants in hotels at the end of September last year, costing the taxpayer £8million a day.
The previous government was able to cut numbers as Channel arrivals dipped – and it had closed 150 migrant hotels by May.
But Labour scrapped the Rwanda asylum deal and ordered a re-think of migrant accommodation as soon as it entered power.
Downing Street insisted the Government remains ‘committed’ to ending the use of asylum hotels with the Prime Minister’s official spokesman adding: ‘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.’
Shadow home secretary James Cleverly said: ‘The Tory 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.’
Stephen Webb, of the think-tank Policy Exchange, added: ‘The savings Government promised on hotels for asylum seekers are yet to materialise.’
It came as Italy’s new offshore migrant processing centre in Albania received its first migrants yesterday.
EU members are today due to discuss adopting a similar scheme across the bloc.
The Home Office said 176 migrants arrived across the Channel on Tuesday, taking this year’s total to 27,509.
