UK Houses 32,000 Asylum Seekers in Hotels During Labour's First Year

As of June 2025, over 32,000 asylum seekers are being housed in hotels across the UK, marking an 8% increase from the previous year but remaining significantly below the peak of over 56,000 recorded in September 2023 under the prior Conservative government. The rising number of asylum claims, which reached a record 111,000 in the year to June 2025, is placing increasing pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government, which has pledged to end the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers before the 2029 election. Legal challenges by local councils, such as the recent High Court ruling ordering the closure of an asylum hotel in Epping, have intensified the housing crisis and complicated government efforts to find alternative accommodations. Government spending on asylum, including housing costs, was £4.76 billion in 2024/25, down from a record £5.38 billion the previous year. The Home Office continues to face criticism and logistical challenges as it balances its legal obligation to provide accommodation with public and political pressures. Immigration has risen as a top voter concern, overtaking the economy, while the government also seeks to curb small boat crossings, which have brought over 27,000 migrants so far in 2025.