Number of UK hotels housing migrants doubles to nearly 400 in five months
21 March 2023, 08:41
The number of hotels in the UK housing migrants has doubled to nearly 400 in five months, figures show.
There are 363 hotels housing migrants in England, 20 in Northern Ireland, ten in Scotland and two in Wales.
It means the number of hotels housing migrants has doubled from around 200 in November, with 51,000 people housed.
An extra 100 hotels, with around 9,000 places, were secured by the government between September and November last year, according to the BBC.
Home Office minister Robert Jenrick accused some home nations of not taking their fair share of migrants, saying "there are fewer hotels in Scotland than there are in Kensington".
"There are more hotels in Earl’s Court than there are in Labour Wales," Mr Jenrick said.
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The Home Secretary Suella Braverman is looking at other ways of expanding locations where migrants can be housed, including theme parks and cruise ships.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said they are "committed to making every effort to reduce hotel use".
It comes after the home secretary visited Rwanda over the weekend ahead of plans to deport migrants to the African nation in the summer.
The government will likely require the injunction to be changed in order for flights to Rwanda to get "off the ground", according to a government source.
Speaking from Rwanda over the weekend, Ms Braverman said: "The government has been clear that the opaque Strasbourg process which led to the last-minute grounding of our Rwanda flight with a Rule 39 order last year was deeply flawed."
"That's why we have measures in our bill that will address how the UK intends to comply with such orders in the future.
"But I've been encouraged by the government's constructive recent discussions with Strasbourg, including around possible reforms to Rule 39 procedures, which is obviously something we'd like to see."
