UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Sir Keir Starmer faces pressure from Jo White to shut asylum hotels, with urgent calls to close them well before the government’s 2029 deadline.
As reported by The Telegraph, Labour’s Red Wall group’s chair has urged Sir Keir Starmer to close asylum hotels before the next general election.
What did Jo White say about asylum hotels?
Jo White, Labour MP for Bassetlaw, stated that the 40-strong Red Wall bloc she leads wants asylum hotels closed “a lot quicker” than currently planned.
She stated,
“I’ve heard ministers saying they share the frustration about the number of small boats that continue to come across, and I know they’re listening because I constantly go on about it. There’s a commitment to close down the hotels by the end of the parliamentary term. I think we all want it to be a lot, lot quicker than that.”
Ms White called on the Labour leader to scrap the incentives driving high numbers of migrants to Britain, after Channel crossings rose by 50% this year to 24,000.
She expressed support for Ms Yvette Cooper’s move to alert food delivery firms about the locations of asylum seeker hotels.
Ms White also called on Mr Starmer and Ms Cooper to reconsider introducing ID cards as a tool to manage migration.
Speaking about the growing anger in her Nottinghamshire seat, she said,
“There is a huge sense of unfairness because people work hard here in this country and commit to supporting the country and then there’s the sense that what asylum hotels cost is a huge drag on what should be invested into our NHS, our schools and our infrastructure. So they have to close, we have to get those asylum hotels cleared out.”
Ms White called the Epping chaos “really frightening” and urged that violence must not be the answer.
She added,
“Whilst you might be angry that these people are here, they are human beings, and violence against those people is not acceptable and cannot be tolerated.”
What did a Labour MP say about migrants in four-star hotels?
A Labour backbencher warned the Home Office had underestimated public anger over the continued use of asylum hotels.
The MP added,
“Obviously, we are closing hotels, but if the Home Office can’t understand why the public doesn’t like migrants using four-star hotels in Canary Wharf, then there’s a problem. I’ve been pushing for looking at former MoD sites for detention centres – and then you wouldn’t need to use these flashy hotels.”
What did the government say about fixing the asylum system?
A government spokesman stated,
“Since taking office, we have taken immediate action to fix the asylum system and have started closing down hotels and removing more than 35,000 people with no right to be here.”
They added,
“While the public has a right to protest against the current situation, we will never tolerate unlawful or violent behaviour.”
How is public anger growing over Labour’s migration policies?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has committed to scrapping the use of hotels for housing 32,000 asylum seekers by the end of the current Parliament.
According to media reports, government plans to scale back asylum hotel use may result in migrants being placed in vacant homes and council-owned properties.
Mr Starmer’s suggestion to reduce all forms of migration has sparked fresh criticism of the current asylum arrangements.
Key facts about illegal migrants in the UK in 2025
- Total irregular arrivals: 44,125 (up 14%).
- Small boats: 86% of arrivals (38,023), up 22%.
- Other arrivals: air (7%), inland (6%), ports (1%).
- Small boat crossings by July 2025: 21,117 (up 56%).
- Daily arrivals (e.g., 225 on July 24).
- Demographics: 71% adult males, 18% children.
- Nationalities: Afghans (16%), Syrians (12%), Eritreans (12%), Iranians (11%), Sudanese (9%).