Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has launched a blistering attack on the government's "shambolic" asylum system, revealing that British taxpayers are footing an astonishing £8 million every single day to house asylum seekers in hotels.
The Staggering Cost of Conservative Failure
In an exclusive analysis, Cooper's team uncovered that the total bill for hotel accommodations has skyrocketed to nearly £3 billion annually. This shocking figure exposes the complete collapse of the Conservatives' immigration strategy, despite their repeated promises to curb costs and clear the backlog.
"The Tories' asylum system is in utter chaos," Cooper stated. "Their failure has created a massive burden on public finances while doing nothing to address the actual problems."
Labour's Strategic Alternative
Unlike the government's reactive approach, Labour proposes a comprehensive plan that includes:
- Establishing a new Returns and Enforcement Unit to speed up processing
- Creating additional, cost-effective accommodation facilities
- Tackling the massive asylum backlog that's crippling the system
- Implementing new fast-track agreements with other countries
Cooper emphasised that Labour would focus on both compassion and competence, ensuring that the UK has a fair but firm system that doesn't rely on expensive temporary solutions.
The Human and Financial Toll
Beyond the enormous financial cost, the current system has created significant social tensions and left thousands of asylum seekers in limbo. Many have been housed in hotels for extended periods without proper processing or resolution of their cases.
The government's much-criticised Rwanda scheme, which has already cost over £140 million without a single flight taking off, exemplifies what Cooper calls "gimmicks rather than genuine solutions."
A System in Crisis
Official figures show the asylum backlog has reached unprecedented levels, with over 130,000 cases awaiting processing. This administrative failure directly contributes to the exorbitant hotel costs that have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum.
Cooper concluded: "The British public deserve an asylum system that is both efficient and fair. The current situation benefits nobody—not taxpayers, not local communities, and not genuine asylum seekers."
