Asylum hotels latest: Number of migrants in hotels rises under Labour but deportations up by 25%

What next? As ministers digest the High Court ruling on the use of a hotel in Epping to house asylum seekers, they have very limited options in front of them, none of them good ones. The High Court should not be attacked for making a ruling that takes no account of politics or even practicalities, for that is not its job. It has, though, made a bad situation very much worse.

It is hardly helpful to anyone, in such circumstances, for Nigel Farage to exploit a delicate and sometimes combustible situation by calling for more peaceful protests. From bitter experience, we know how such demonstrations can degenerate into minor disorder, or worse. In fact, given the force of the High Court judgment, there is even less need for such protests now.

Instead, Mr Farage and his deputy, Richard Tice, as usual, are playing on the fears of people and behaving in a way that is irresponsible at best and dangerous at worst. Mr Farage’s interventions in the riots last year only added to the campaign of disinformation underway, and most recently was made to apologise for claiming that the Essex police had “bussed in” counterdemonstrators in Epping.

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Peterborough City Council are among those reviewing legal options following Epping judgement, as council leader says the area is housing “far more than our share of asylum seekers” compared to rest of the country.

Councillor Dennis Jones, Labour leader of Peterborough City Council: “We are watching the news about Epping Forest District Council winning a temporary High Court injunction with interest.

We maintain that Peterborough has a proud history of welcoming asylum seekers and others in need to the city, but in a planned and coordinated way. Our resources are already stretched – we are already well above our Dispersed Accommodation quota and housing far more than our share of asylum seekers than other areas of the country.

“In addition, we believe that The Dragonfly is not the ideal location with the hotel sited in a residential area with limited access to services and amenities.

“We are carefully reviewing the court’s judgment and other legal implications before making our own decision on whether or not to launch a legal challenge.”

There has been a sharp increase in the number of people becoming British citizens in recent years.

257,000 people became British citizens in the year ending June 2025, up from 129,000 in the year ending March 2021, according to the Home Office.

The number of foreign national offenders (FNOs) who were retuned from the UK increased by 16 per cent in the year to June.

There were over 5,265 people returned in this period, with half being EU nationals.

These are non-British citizens who have been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or abroad. The latest figures are the highest number of criminals removed in years, but still below the peak in 2016.

The number of people returned from the UK has gone up by 25 per cent in the past year, with 9,100 enforced returns in the twelve months to July.

The majority of this was under the Labour government.

Migrants from Albania, Romania, Brazil and India have faced the highest number of enforced returns.

Voluntary returns are also up by 13 per cent.

Some 1,000 staff have been reallocated to immigration enforcement, which the Home Office notes may have boosted returns.

Home Office spending on asylum in the UK stood at £4.76 billion in 2024/25, down 12 per cent from a record £5.38 billion in 2023/24, Government figures show.

The total covers all Home Office costs related to asylum, including direct cash support and accommodation, plus wider staffing and other migration and borders activity.

It does not include costs relating to the interception of migrants who travel to the UK across the English Channel in small boats.

The figure for 2024/25, £4.76 billion, is more than three times the equivalent amount in 2020/21 (£1.34 billion) and is more than 10 times the total a decade ago in 2014/15 (£0.47 billion).

Labour have been making progress in slashing the asylum backlog, with the number of asylum claims awaiting a decision continuing to fall.

The total number waiting was 70,532 in June this year, down on more than 90,000 at the end of 2024.

The numbers waiting for more than 12 months for a decision are also falling significantly, although some 19,000 people are still in this position. Some 30,637 had been waiting for over a year on their asylum decision in September last year.

The number of asylum seekers in hotels has gone down very slightly from 32,345 in March this year, to 32,059 in June 2025.

Asylum seekers in other forms of accommodation has also dipped, with the number in dispersed accommodation going from 66,683 in March to 66,234 in June this year. There are a total of 106,075 people in receipt of asylum support, a fall of around 600 people in the past three months.

The number in hotels in June last year was 29,585 compared to 32,059 this year – a rise of 8 per cent. However the number in hotels has been falling since the end of last year.

Patrick Harley, Conservative leader of Dudley council, told The Independent that he had instructed the council’s legal team to seek an injunction against an asylum hotel in the borough.

He said: “For years now we have taken a robust approach to handling Serco and the Home Office in relation to the placement of asylum seekers in hotels. We have previously threatened legal action against both Serco and individuals.

“As a result we only have one hotel in the borough that has been commandeered by Serco for this use.”

He added: “I have instructed our legal team to seek a similar injunction against Serco and the Home Office in relation to what’s happened yesterday at Epping”.

Several local authorities, including some run by the Labour Party, said they were looking at their options to take similar action.

Carol Dean, leader of Labour-controlled Tamworth Council, said her authority had previously decided against legal action but was now “carefully assessing” what the decision might mean for the area, adding it was a “potentially important legal precedent”.

A spokesperson for Wirral Council, which has seen protests outside a hotel in Hoylake, said the authority was “considering the detail” of Tuesday’s judgment.

Other authorities have ruled out legal action, with the leader of Labour-run Newcastle City Council saying she was “confident” the council could end the use of hotels without going to court.

Karen Kilgour said: “We recognise that people seeking asylum include families, women, and children, many of whom have faced unimaginable trauma.

“Newcastle has a proud history of offering sanctuary, and we stand ready to play our part – but it must be done in a way that works for our city and supports the dignity and wellbeing of those who come here.”