34 h. ago Nearly TWICE as many asylum seekers are living in homes rent free than in hotels as government offers private landlords five years of guaranteed rent if they house migrants

UK public anger over immigration has focused over the use of hotels to house migrants who are waiting to hear the outcome of their asylum claims.

Society

3 d. ago Awkward moment Nick Robinson reminds Chris Philp he opened Bell Hotel for asylum seekers

Nick Robinson reminded Chris Philp that he, as immigration minister under the Conservative government, opened up the use of the Bell Hotel in Epping for the use of housing asylum seekers during a live interview on BBC Radio 4 on Monday, 1 September.

Events

5 d. ago REAL BRITAIN: 'I used to help asylum seekers, now I live in fear of being deported'

Edel Anabwani came to the UK to study for her PhD - but after a paperwork error, she lost her job and now relies on the kindness of neighbours to feed her

Events

6 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 Asylum hotel protests latest: Rival groups face off as tensions flare at anti

Two men were arrested in anti-migrant protests in Norwich ahead of a weekend of planned action

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 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

2 w. ago Government’s deal with Iraq to return illegal migrants will ‘deter small boat arrivals’, says Starmer – UK politics live

Prime minister says ‘strengthened partnership with Iraq will secure our borders’ as more councils in England plan to challenge asylum hotelsTrain fares in England are now expected to rise by a higher-than-expected 5.8% next year, causing concern among passenger groups.Rail ticket increases are usually calculated by adding one percentage point to July’s inflation reading on the retail prices index (RPI), which came in 0.2 points above forecasts on Wednesday at 4.8%. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Government looking at contingency options for where to house asylum seekers after Epping court ruling – UK politics live

Security minister Dan Jarvis says government is considering options after council granted injunction to stop people being placed at the Bell hotelIn case you missed the Guardian’s news piece about the Bell hotel high court ruling:Keir Starmer’s asylum plans have been plunged into turmoil after a high court ruling blocked people seeking refuge from being housed in an Essex hotel.We will carefully consider this judgment. As this matter remains subject to ongoing legal proceedings it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.I haven’t read Mr Farage’s op-ed, but I’ve always thought that the best politicians try and bring people together, and the very worst politicians try and drive them apart.Well, we’ll see where we get to with that specific decision. We’re looking very closely at it.The bigger issue is how we can tackle the asylum backlog. We inherited a very significant backlog from the previous government who effectively stopped processing asylum claims. That’s why we...

Politics