7 h. ago Migrants could be moved into warehouses when asylum hotels close, Yvette Cooper suggests

Labour have committed to ending the use of asylum hotels by 2029

Events

9 h. ago Cooper suggests asylum seekers could be moved into warehouses instead of hotels – UK politics live

Home secretary says government aims to ‘shrink the whole asylum system’ and is looking at ‘military and industrial sites’Lamb says the Greens are “the antidote to Reform”.That gets a big round of applause.We’re a home for all those people across the country holding their heads in their hands as the Labour government lets them down again and again and again, whether it is switching from the aid budget or from people with disabilities and not bringing in taxes we need.And that is why, in reaction, a new Green wave is sweeping the country as people turn to us.It’s already become a bit of a cliche, but we are really moving into a multi-party system, with the Greens poised to help create the next government.And, like all the best cliches, it has the distinct advantage of also being for true. Continue reading...

Society

4 d. ago Epping Bell Hotel LIVE: Bombshell court ruling due on asylum seekers' futures

Senior judges will today rule on whether to overturn a court ruling to block asylum seekers from being housed at Epping's Bell Hotel after a wave of protests this summer

Events

1 week ago Government to appeal against court ruling blocking asylum seekers being housed at Epping hotel – as it happened

This blog is now closed In an interview on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme on Friday, MSP Jeremy Balfour who has resigned from the Scottish Conservatives (see 9.13am BST), said he feels the party has “lost its way in Scotland” and “I don’t think it represents true Conservative values”.According to the PA news agency, when asked if Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay is the right person for the job and whether he should stay in the post, he said:Clearly I’m no longer a member of the party so that’s no longer a decision for me to make.I get on very well as an individual with Russell, I think he’s a good individual. Whether he’s the person to lead the Scottish Conservatives is obviously for MSPs, for the membership, to decide.What I’m very clear about is that those with disabilities, other minorities and the people of Lothian need a voice for people to hear what we require within our country.I’m not sure any party is actually offering that at the moment but whethe...

Events

1 week ago Government to appeal against court ruling blocking asylum seekers being housed at Epping hotel – UK politics live

Security minister says Labour will close asylum hotels by the end of this parliament but it needs to be done ‘in a managed and ordered way’In an interview on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme on Friday, MSP Jeremy Balfour who has resigned from the Scottish Conservatives (see 9.13am BST), said he feels the party has “lost its way in Scotland” and “I don’t think it represents true Conservative values”.According to the PA news agency, when asked if Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay is the right person for the job and whether he should stay in the post, he said:Clearly I’m no longer a member of the party so that’s no longer a decision for me to make.I get on very well as an individual with Russell, I think he’s a good individual. Whether he’s the person to lead the Scottish Conservatives is obviously for MSPs, for the membership, to decide.What I’m very clear about is that those with disabilities, other minorities and the people of Lothian need a voice for people t...

Politics

1 week ago Government to appeal court ruling blocking asylum seekers being housed at Epping hotel – UK politics live

Security minister says Labour will close asylum hotels by the end of this parliament but it needs to be done ‘in a managed and ordered way’In an interview on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme on Friday, MSP Jeremy Balfour who has resigned from the Scottish Conservatives (see 9.13am BST), said he feels the party has “lost its way in Scotland” and “I don’t think it represents true Conservative values”.According to the PA news agency, when asked if Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay is the right person for the job and whether he should stay in the post, he said:Clearly I’m no longer a member of the party so that’s no longer a decision for me to make.I get on very well as an individual with Russell, I think he’s a good individual. Whether he’s the person to lead the Scottish Conservatives is obviously for MSPs, for the membership, to decide.What I’m very clear about is that those with disabilities, other minorities and the people of Lothian need a voice for people t...

Politics

1 week ago Dozens of protests planned outside asylum hotels as Labour defends record on immigration – UK politics live

Labour has pledged to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by the end of this parliament in 2029The mayor of South Yorkshire said there has been “interest from companies” who may want to “take on” steel sites after the government had to take control of the operation, reports the PA news agency.The high court confirmed on Thursday that Speciality Steel – previously part of Sanjeev Gupta’s Liberty Steel business – would face a compulsory liquidation. It has plants in Rotherham and Stocksbridge.We’ve got a team that we’ve stood up in my office, we’ve been working with the government’s steel team to make sure that we know exactly what’s going on here in terms of the assets that are on the table.We’ve had interest from companies who we know who want to take on these sites.The government stepping in to take control now is good news because it just brings to an end the uncertainty that we’ve seen on the sites.I think that was the thing that was killing the business slowly, we now ...

Events

1 week ago Number of asylum seekers housed in hotels up 8% in a year, Home Office data shows

Rise comes despite applications being processed much faster than two years ago as backlog falls below 100,000 for first time since 2021UK politics live – latest updatesThe number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels has risen by 8% to 32,059 in a year, according to Home Office data.The data also shows that the government is processing asylum applications much more quickly, with 71,000 cases awaiting approval, relating to 91,000 people, compared with 134,000 two years ago. Continue reading...

Society