What does the pledge mean? 

Asylum seekers (people awaiting a decision on an asylum application) who are destitute can apply to receive support from the government, including accommodation. People who apply for asylum support are housed in initial accommodation while their application is considered, and if their application for asylum support is granted, they are placed in dispersal accommodation until a final decision is made on their asylum claim.

Due to an increased number of asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their application in the UK in recent years, the government has had to use ‘contingency’ asylum accommodation in order to meet its obligation to provide housing for those who require it. This has primarily involved the use of hotels, although some asylum seekers have been housed in other types of contingency accommodation, including the Bibby Stockholm barge and in former military barracks.

A report published by the National Audit Office in March 2024 found that the Home Office was forecast to spend £3.1 billion on asylum hotels in 2023/24—approximately two-thirds of its total spending on asylum support.

Labour has not set out a specific timeframe to achieve this pledge, and the Home Office did not offer one when we asked, so we’re assuming the government aims to deliver it by the end of this parliament. 

The Home Office routinely publishes quarterly data showing the number of asylum seekers in hotels, but not the number of hotels in use or their associated costs. Given this, it’s unclear how the government intends to provide updates on progress towards this pledge (the Home Office did not provide any specific figures when we asked for an update). 

What progress has been made?

It’s too early to say what progress has been made on this pledge, as we don’t have any relevant data.

At the end of June 2024 a total of 29,585 asylum seekers were being housed in contingency accommodation in hotels (approximately 29% of all asylum seekers being housed by the government). Data showing the number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels as at the end of September is due to be published on 28 November, so we currently can’t say how this figure has changed since Labour came into government.

Separate data published by the Home Office shows that as of 7 April 2024 there were 267 hotels being used to accommodate asylum seekers. However, as explained above, the government does not routinely publish information on the number of hotels being used to house asylum seekers, so it’s unclear how this figure has changed since. In October 2024 we submitted a Freedom of Information request to ask for the latest data.

On coming into government Labour made changes to the Illegal Migration Act 2023 to allow a group of asylum applications which could not previously be processed to begin being dealt with, in order to “clear the backlog and end asylum hotels”.

Following reports in November 2024 that asylum seekers had been removed from the Bibby Stockholm barge and placed in hotels, border security and asylum minister Dame Angela Eagle MP said: “It remains our commitment to end the use of asylum hotels and house people in more cost-effective and suitable accommodation in communities. But the size of the existing backlog means we are forced to use hotels in the meantime.”

The Home Office has not directly confirmed how much it estimates closing asylum hotels will reduce overall asylum support costs by, but told us that clearing the asylum backlog will save an estimated £7 billion over the next ten years.