Far-right activists have sparked outrage with false claims that asylum seekers in the UK are living in luxury hotels and receiving £40 per week. The reality is far different, with most housed in budget hotels due to pandemic restrictions, receiving just £5 weekly for essentials.
The claim that homeless veterans are displaced by asylum seekers is also unfounded. Homeless veterans, as British citizens, remain eligible for state support. The Royal British Legion estimates that only around 2% of rough sleepers in London are veterans.
Asylum seekers are legally barred from working, a policy NGOs are campaigning to overturn. Many want to work and be self-sufficient but are prohibited. Those in hotels often arrived recently, some via small boats, and may face detention and removal if found to have passed through other European countries.
It is not illegal to claim asylum. The UK has a duty under the 1951 Refugee Convention to consider claims, and Brexit does not change this. International law does not require asylum to be claimed in the first safe country reached.
