A recent report revealed that failures in leadership under the Tories resulted in taxpayers being burdened with asylum hotel expenses amounting to billions of pounds. Members of Parliament from various parties criticized the Home Office for pursuing ineffective policies to address a growing backlog of asylum cases. The report highlighted a series of errors that allowed private companies to profit significantly while the government struggled to recover funds.
The long-awaited report on the asylum hotel crisis by the Home Affairs Select Committee criticized the Home Office for its chaotic and inadequate response to the challenges it faced. The number of individuals housed in hotels during the processing of their asylum applications decreased to around 32,000 in June, down from over 56,000 during the tenure of Rishi Sunak and Robert Jenrick in 2023.
According to the report, senior leadership failures, changing priorities, and pressure for quick results led to a lack of control over the situation and a surge in costs. The government was accused of neglecting basic due diligence and failing to manage the escalating expenses. The report also highlighted a three-fold increase in the expected 10-year cost of asylum accommodation, reaching £15.3 billion from £4.5 billion in 2019.
Furthermore, the report criticized the government for not evaluating the impact on local services and community cohesion, particularly in deprived areas where asylum hotels were predominantly established. The lack of mechanisms to recover excessive profits from contracted private firms was also condemned. Opposition MPs condemned the Tories for turning the asylum system into a profit-making venture for private entities.
While opposition leader Keir Starmer pledged to shut down asylum hotels by 2029, there is a lack of clarity on the implementation of this plan. The committee chair, Tory MP Dame Karen Bradley, urged the government to take control of the system and rectify past mistakes to prevent further financial losses.
The report emphasized the need for prompt closure of asylum hotels, as human rights organizations highlighted the adverse effects of prolonged stays in such accommodations. The Home Office responded by asserting its commitment to shutting down all asylum hotels to save taxpayer money, citing actions already taken to reduce costs and explore alternative accommodation options.
