Archive · 27 Aug 2026
UK Asylum Hotel Numbers Halve as Migration Pressure Falls
The UK says fewer people are applying for asylum and fewer asylum seekers are staying in hotels.
The number in hotels fell from more than 32,000 to more than 16,000.
The government also says the number of people waiting for a first decision has fallen sharply.
More people who were found not to have a right to stay were removed from the country.
Small boat arrivals also fell during the reported period.
The government says this shows its policies are working.
Conservative and Reform politicians say the government should deport everyone who is in the country illegally.
A rights commission says government policies are not doing enough to prevent poverty and hardship among migrants and asylum seekers.
More than 32,000 asylum seekers were housed in hotels in June 2025, falling to over 16,000 by June this year.
Asylum applications in the 12 months to June fell 21% year-on-year to 85,891, the lowest total since June 2022.
Applicants awaiting an initial decision fell 56% to 40,168, down from 175,000 in June 2023.
Around 40,000 people were removed in the year to June 2026, including the highest number of failed asylum seekers removed in 16 years.
The government said asylum spending fell 8% to £4.36 billion in 2025/26, while opposition parties called for tougher deportation policies.
- Who
- The UK government, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, opposition politicians, Reform UK, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
- What
- Government data showed falls in asylum applications, hotel use, the asylum backlog, small boat arrivals, and asylum spending, alongside increased removals.
- When
- The figures cover periods ending in June, including the 12 months to June 2026 and spending year 2025/26; hotel comparisons include June 2025 and June this year.
- Where
- The United Kingdom, including asylum accommodation and small boat crossings of the English Channel from France.
- Why
- The government attributed the changes to its asylum and migration policies, including efforts to disrupt small boat crossings upstream in Europe.
Government and Labour position
Conservative and Reform position
Interpreting the decline
Government and Labour position
The government says falling applications, hotel use, small boat arrivals, and the backlog indicate that its policies are producing results, while stressing that more work is needed.
Conservative and Reform position
The Conservatives and Reform UK argue that the government is still failing to control illegal migration and that Britain is at breaking point.
Accommodation policy
Government and Labour position
The government highlights the fall in hotel use, while Home Office-funded housing outside hotels has increased to 69,000 people.
Conservative and Reform position
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Labour was moving illegal immigrants from hotels into flats and argued that accommodation would be emptied by deporting those who crossed the Channel.
Deportation and enforcement
Government and Labour position
The government says removals and illegal-working arrests have increased, with around 40,000 removals in the year to June 2026.
Conservative and Reform position
The Conservatives called for every illegal immigrant to be deported and for the United Kingdom to leave the European Court of Human Rights; Reform UK proposed using the Navy to stop boats and detaining and deporting everyone in the country illegally.
Rights and living conditions
Government and Labour position
The government presented lower asylum spending and reduced hotel use as evidence of progress.
Conservative and Reform position
The Equality and Human Rights Commission said the government received its lowest ranking for migrant and asylum policies, citing inconsistent action and failures to protect people from poverty and destitution.
- Asylum applications
- 85,891 applications were recorded in the 12 months to the end of June, down 21% year-on-year.
- People in asylum hotels
- Hotel accommodation fell from more than 32,000 people in June 2025 to more than 16,000 by June this year.
- Initial-decision backlog
- The number awaiting a first decision fell 56% to 40,168, compared with 175,000 in June 2023.
- Small boat arrivals
- About 33,000 of 38,000 detected illegal arrivals in the year to June came by small boat; small boat arrivals fell 23%.
- Removals
- Around 40,000 people found not to have a reason to stay were removed in the year to June 2026, up 8% year-on-year.
- Asylum spending
- Government spending on asylum fell 8% in 2025/26 to £4.36 billion.
- Non-hotel accommodation
- People in houses paid for by the Home Office rose from 65,000 at the end of 2024 to 69,000 in June this year.