BBC Breakfast host Jon Kay grilled Labour minister Anna Turley on the Government's pledge to stop using asylum hotels, pressing her on how long it would take to close them all.
Minister questioned on hotel numbers
On Wednesday (August 12), Kay and co-host Sally Nugent welcomed Anna Turley, the minister for Border Security and Asylum, to the show. Kay began: "When you came into power a couple of years ago, there were 213 asylum hotels. There are still 160. Is that good enough?"
Turley replied: "Yes. We're bearing down, and I think at its peak there were 400 hotels." The presenter pointed out that the peak figure occurred before Labour took over in 2024.
Minister defends progress
The politician said: "The public has been very clear with us, even at the last election, they want us to end the use of these hotels."
She added: "I was in Blackpool just yesterday, where we were closing the Metropol Hotel, a really iconic hotel on the sea front, from asylum seekers. I think that's sending a really important message to communities like Blackpool: we want that hotel to be part of your future, your generation."
"We want to have tourists coming to spend a day on the British sea front, that's what our hotels should be used for, not asylum seekers. It's more appropriate that we put them into better-managed accommodation, so I'm pleased that we're bringing the numbers down, but of course, we've got further to go."
