The migrant crisis is a concern for this country on a number of levels. The first is the underlying criminality that is facilitating dangerous Channel crossings, putting lives at risk.

Then there is the strain that migration is putting on services and infrastructure in this country.

The most egregious example of this is the amount of money being spent on asylum hotels. At a time when the public is being told that the country’s finances are in disarray and that we’re all to pay more for less, the costs associated with housing asylum seekers are jarring to say the least.

That is why the Government needs to get a grip on the use of asylum hotels and should have done so from day one. A failure to reduce the number of asylum hotels being used is one of the reasons why it has lost control of the narrative on immigration.

People demonstrating under the Abolish Asylum System slogan outside the Castle Bromwich Holiday Inn in Birmingham. PIC: Jacob King/PA Wire

placeholder image — People demonstrating under the Abolish Asylum System slogan outside the Castle Bromwich Holiday Inn in Birmingham. PIC: Jacob King/PA Wire

The Government has promised to end the housing of asylum seekers in hotels by 2029 amid mounting pressure over rising costs and a backlash in local communities. But as the Home Affairs Committee points out, Ministers need to set out a clear strategy on reducing the use of hotels.

A report published today said the Home Office has failed to share a long-term strategy for asylum seeker accommodation and repeatedly cut corners in its “chaotic” response to the pressures.

It is clear that there are issues at the Home Office that predate Labour coming into power. And the Home Office is facing challenging circumstances. But Labour has failed to grasp the nettle and taxpayer money is being wasted while asylum seekers are being housed in accomodation that is clearly not fir for purpose.