Why are asylum seekers in hotels?
Because the Tories put them there.
The policy of housing asylum seekers in hotels was introduced as an operational contingency by the Home Office under the Conservative government. It was not a pre-designed policy announced in Parliament but an emergency measure that escalated from around 2018 onwards, during Sajid Javid’s tenure as Home Secretary. The decision was a direct response to a critical shortage of suitable accommodation, caused by a substantial increase in asylum applications and significant processing delays within the system. The existing dispersal estate and larger sites like former military barracks were full, forcing the department to procure hotel rooms on emergency contracts to fulfill its legal obligation under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to provide shelter for destitute asylum seekers.
This practice is a symptom of broader systemic pressures within the UK’s asylum framework. Key contributing factors include the end of the Dublin Regulation following 52% of the UK public voting for Brexit, which previously allowed for the return of some asylum seekers to the first EU country they entered, and rising global instability leading to an increase in arrivals, notably via small boat crossings in the English Channel. With the system mired in a large backlog due to radical cuts by the Conservative government, individuals remain in this initial accommodation for prolonged periods, turning an intended short-term stopgap into a de facto and extremely costly long-term solution.
The use of hotels has, as has been witnessed, proven highly controversial. Subsequent Conservative Home Secretaries, including Priti Patel, Suella Braverman, and James Cleverly, have all presided over and continued the policy. However, until the number of new claims decreases substantially or processing accelerates, the reliance on emergency hotel accommodation is likely to continue.
Thus, only a year after coming to office, and although the current government has clearly stated that it intends to remove all asylum seekers from hotels, it is going to get worse before it gets much better.
The Latest Data
The most up-to-date data suggests that the UK is still experiencing the Brexit hangover due to not being able to defer to the Dublin Regulation but that they are beginning to make significant inroads.
While some seek to capitalise on this issue, including those who are directly responsible for it, it appears that gradually the situation is easing. However, it will take a few more years yet before it can be properly judged.
