Migrants could be housed in hotels for up to three more years due to the asylum backlog, a report has revealed. The Times newspaper indicated on Monday that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and other ministers acknowledge that clearing the backlog will take longer than initially anticipated. The government had aimed to eradicate the backlog and “end asylum hotels,” but a Whitehall source disclosed to The Times that the situation is “much worse than we thought.” They added, “It’s going to take a lot longer to clear than we anticipated. It certainly won’t be cleared in a year.”
A Labour source commented, “We have inherited a completely failed immigration system from the Tories,” criticising previous initiatives as ineffective. Home Office figures from August showed 118,882 individuals were awaiting an initial decision on asylum applications in the UK at the end of June 2024, a decrease from the previous year but a slight increase from March this year. Earlier in the month, Ms Cooper mentioned progress in clearing the backlog and returning those ineligible to remain in the UK to ultimately cease costly asylum hotel accommodations.
The Labour manifesto outlined intentions to overhaul the asylum system, enhance efficiency, and reduce expenses by hiring more caseworkers to address the Conservative legacy backlog. Plans also aimed to halt asylum hotels and streamline the process. However, challenges persist as the scale of the situation remains significant despite some progress. Stay updated for further developments on this issue.