The cost of housing asylum seekers in hotels has risen to £8m a day, according to the Home Office's annual report. This marks an increase from the £6m a day figure given by Home Secretary Suella Braverman in the Commons earlier this week.
The report, published on Tuesday, states that the use of hotels for asylum seekers is costing taxpayers over £3bn a year. Ministers have pledged to reduce reliance on hotels by accelerating application processing and using alternative accommodation such as barges and disused military sites.
The government is legally obliged to provide basic housing for asylum seekers, who are not allowed to work while their claims are processed. However, a growing backlog has led to prolonged hotel stays. At the end of June, over 175,000 people were awaiting a decision, up 44 per cent from the previous year.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the £8m daily bill as "astronomical", blaming the Conservatives for their "utter failure" to manage the system. She noted that costs had risen by a third since Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to end hotel use.
A government source defended the spending, stating that the Rwanda asylum scheme, currently awaiting a Supreme Court judgment, is intended to break the business model of people smugglers. The source also criticised Labour's approach, claiming it would worsen the situation.
