When will Government end asylum hotels – and how many have been closed ...Middle East

The public will soon see the “evidence” of asylum hotel closures, Sir Keir Starmer has said as he seeks to reduce small boat crossings.

The second highest ever number of migrants entered the UK across the Channel last year and over 36,000 live in hotels.

In 2025, 41,472 migrants arrived after crossing the English Channel, making this the second-highest year for crossings, nine per cent below the all-time high of 45,774 in 2022.

Starmer said on Sunday his government will accelerate the closure of all asylum hotels, telling the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “I want to see this happening more quickly, and as we turn a corner into 2026 you’ll see evidence of that.”

Starmer’s comments come during a quiet spell for Channel crossings, as no migrants entered the country via the Channel the past week.

Asylum hotels have become a charged political issue in the past year, as the Bell Hotel in Epping attracted regular protest by those who oppose its housing of asylum seekers.

Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian national who was later freed from prison by mistake, was convicted of sex offences while staying at the hotel. He was mistakenly released and deported following a manhunt.

When has the Government pledged to close asylum hotels?

The Labour Government has committed to ending the use of asylum hotels by 2029, the same year the next general election is likely to be held.

But Starmer said he aims to shutter the hotels before then and is urging his officials to make it happen as soon as possible.

He said: “I’ve said to the system, to the relevant departments, I want to see that brought forward as soon as possible, but no longer the end of Parliament. Bring it forward.”

But the Prime Minister refused to provide a deadline for the closure of asylum hotels, saying he will not set a date “until we’re absolutely sure that we can meet that date”.

Hotels are a controversial method of housing for asylum seekers, both due to their cost and the impact critics say they have on residential communities.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has pledged to crack down on hotels, claiming their use is “eroding trust” in politicians.

According to the Home Office’s most recent quarterly release, 36,273 migrants are currently in hotel accommodation at the, accounting for 32 per cent of all asylum seekers in the system.

This figure, dated to September 2025, is two per cent higher than the same time in 2024 and 13 per cent higher than in June 2025.

The Home Office spent £2.1bn on asylum hotels in the financial year 2024-25, according to its accounts.

The Refugee Council, a UK-based charity, has said Labour’s 2029 deadline risks “fuelling community division” and claims the Government could stop using asylum hotels by the end of this year.

How many have been closed so far?

The Government does not regularly provide data on the number of hotels being used to house migrants, so the number being used currently is unclear.

Labour politicians had claimed the number of asylum hotels had been slashed from 400 under the Conservatives to 200 under the new Government.

But an investigation by Full Fact revealed that most of this reduction occurred under the previous Tory government.

While around 400 hotels were in use at their peak in summer 2023, 213 were operating when Labour took power in July 2024, according to border security minister, Dame Angela Eagle.

As of July 2025, 210 hotels were in use, according to Full Fact, suggesting that only three had closed under the Labour Government by that point.

But more have likely closed since the summer, as a Home Office spokesperson said in November less than 200 hotels were in use.

Is migration on the rise?

Though the number of small-boat Channel crossings remains high, net migration – the different between those leaving and entering – appears to be falling.

Net migration fell by 78 per cent over the past two years, marking a return to pre-Brexit levels, according to the Oxford Migration Observatory.

Net migration fell to 204,000 in the year ending June 2025, significantly down from a peak of over 900,000 in November 2023.

Plummeting visa applications and higher levels of workers leaving the UK could mean that net migration falls below zero as soon as this year, according to data published in The Times.

The most overlooked fact in UK politics: migration is plunging.It could hit tens of thousands this year. Perhaps even net-zero.This would be a political game-changer – and Starmer has all the tools to make it happen. My Times column:- t.co/9v49NaWsfn

How else will the Government house migrants?

While Labour has not set out exactly how it plans to replace hotel accommodation in the asylum system, alternative options for housing migrants include former military barracks and social housing.

Former military barracks have been used to house migrants, but these often face criticism for their cost and for the conditions faced by the people living there.

Napier barracks in Folkestone closed last month after hosting asylum seekers for more than five years, having faced criticism both for providing “luxurious” accommodation and for failing to meet minimum housing standards.

In November, The i Paper released footage showing giant rats, leaking toilets and flooded hallways at MDP Wethersfield in Essex, a former RAF base being used to house migrants.

The Government plans to house hundreds of asylum seekers at a former army training camp in Crowborough, Essex, but locals are divided over how this will affect those living in the town.

Beyond military bases, Dame Eagle has said the Government is considering buying tower blocks and former student accommodation to house migrants.

Kate Wareing, the head of an Oxfordshire housing association, is campaigning for the Government to empower councils to purchase social housing as a replacement for asylum hotels.

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Under her proposal councils would be paid to buy and renovate social housing for residents, meaning asylum seekers could then live in the houses vacated by these tenants.

Wareing claims up to 16,000 homes could be built with a £1.75bn investment but critics – including the centre-right think tank Policy Exchange – say this plan does not address the issue of migrants allegedly failing to integrate into communities.

The Government could also encourage people to host asylum seekers in their homes, through a scheme similar to the Homes for Ukraine program, though Labour has not suggested this is being considered.

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