UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook refuses to promise Labour will end asylum hotel use by 2029 amid protests and logistical challenges.
As reported by The Independent, a government minister declined to confirm Labour’s pledge to end asylum hotel use by the next general election, expected in 2029.
What did Matthew Pennycook say about ending asylum hotel use?
Matthew Pennycook said Labour “is determined” to stop using hotels for migrant accommodation amid ongoing UK protests.
He avoided committing to ending hotel use, with the Refugee Council calling the target unachievable.
During an interview, when questioned if Labour “absolutely will” honour its pledge, the housing minister responded,
“We are determined to end hotel use within this parliament. Obviously that can’t happen overnight. We will, over the coming months, evidence the closure of them.”
Mr Pennycook said,
“We are looking at all options, whether it’s those large scale alternative locations, like military sites across the country, and eventually, to some extent, dispersal accommodation.”
He stated,
“Although that will be very basic accommodation, in some cases, HMOs, lower quality housing in the private rented sector, when we need to move to dispersal accommodation.”
The housing minister declined to reveal the cost of transporting migrants between hotels and medical appointments, despite a BBC report showing some journeys cost hundreds of pounds.
Yvette Cooper’s views on closing asylum hotels
Former Home Secretary and current Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed efforts are underway to close asylum hotels quickly, while following an orderly process to prevent issues across the country.
She added,
“That is the reason for the Home Office appeal in this case, to ensure that, going forward, the closure of all hotels can be done in a properly managed way right across the country – without creating problems for other areas and local councils.”
What did Dan Jarvis say about closing asylum hotels?
The security minister, Dan Jarvis, stated,
“This government will close all asylum hotels and we will clear up the mess that we inherited from the previous government.”
He added,
“We’ve made a commitment that we will close all of the asylum hotels by the end of this parliament, but we need to do that in a managed and ordered way. And that’s why we’ll appeal this decision.”
What measures did Rachel Reeves propose to end migrant hotel use?
In June, Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged that asylum hotels will no longer house migrants by 2029.
At the spending review, she told MPs that hotels are costing taxpayers “billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money” and “leaving people in limbo, shunting the cost of failure onto local communities.”
She explained that reducing the asylum backlog and speeding up appeals could save £1bn each year.
The ex-Home Office civil servant said the target could be affected by inevitable “ups and downs.”
Demonstrations have erupted across the UK over hotels housing asylum seekers, with Reform UK and the Conservatives urging immediate action. The number of asylum seekers in hotels rose by 8% over the past year, according to recent figures.
Asylum seekers in hotels
The number of asylum seekers in hotels increased 8% from last year, yet they have consistently fallen since December.
At 32,059, the number of people in hotels is much lower than the 56,000 peak seen in September 2023 under the Tory government.
Key facts about the illegal migrants in the UK
In the year ending June 2025, the UK recorded 49,341 irregular arrivals, 27% higher than the previous year. Most of these, 88% or 43,000 people, crossed the English Channel in small boats.
Since 2018, over 168,000 people have used this route. The top nationalities were Afghanistan (15%), Eritrea (14%), and Iran (10%).