British taxpayers are forking out more than ever to house asylum seekers in hotels.
British taxpayers are paying for more than 50,000 asylum seekers to stay in hotels (Image: Getty)
British taxpayers are paying for more than 50,000 asylum seekers to stay in hotels, shocking analysis has revealed. This is the highest the asylum appeals backlog has ever been, despite Rachel Reeves vowing to close every migrant hotel by July 2029.
More and more asylum seekers are appealing against rejected claims and their cases are taking over a year to be heard, prolonging stays in hotels. Government figures show that, as of March, there were 50,976 outstanding appeals which is nearly double compared with last year and seven times higher than 2023. At 50,976, the number of asylum appeals is the equivalent of two-thirds (65%) of the backlog of initial decisions.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has vowed to close every migrant hotel by July 2029 (Image: Getty)
The average time taken for a claim to be heard by the courts is now 54 weeks, the first time it has exceeded a year, according to The Times.
Colin Yeo, an immigration barrister, is warning that the time frame is likely to become even longer as the 54 weeks refer to cases that entered the system back in 2024 when the appeals backlog was 27,133.
On top of this, a third of all asylum cases, around 25,000, took more than 12 months for an initial decision to be made.
This means tens of thousands are waiting for an outcome. The longer they wait, the more likely asylum seekers are to form a relationship with the UK, meaning they have a better chance of avoiding deportation.
There are 50,976 outstanding appeals (Image: Getty)
The Home Office said: “We inherited an asylum system under exceptional pressure and we make no apologies for taking the necessary and immediate action to restore order, increasing asylum decision making and returning nearly 30,000 people with no right to be here.”
It comes as over 1,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Friday and Saturday, bringing the total so far this year to 18,400, which is 45 per cent higher than last year.
Home Office statistics say 437 people made the crossing on Friday, June 20, in seven boats, while on Saturday, a further 583 crossed in eight boats, bringing the total for the two days to 1,020.
Treasury documents also show that taxpayers will still be shelling out £2.5 billion in 2028/2029 on asylum.
Spending plans also show the Home Office will spend 3.6 billion on asylum in 2025/2026, £3.6bn in 26/27 and £2.9bn in 27/28.
