Migration chaos could continue until 2039 in fresh blow to Labour | Politics | News
Shocking documents have revealed that the UK’s immigration crisis could continue for another 15 years.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs wants to find companies that will provide accommodation, transportation, food, security and welfare supervision to refugees until at least 2036.
However, the contract seen by the Daily Express revealed that it could be extended until 2039.
As the channel migrant crisis spirals out of control, a shocking report has emerged revealing billions of pounds have been wasted on up to 400 hotels for asylum seekers.
Reform UK Nigel Farage said: “There are some companies making huge profits – you only have to look at the share price of one or two of them to see what a big fuss the whole thing is.
“Who is responsible for the Home Office? The British Government. We were told over 20 years ago under Blair that the Home Office was not fit for purpose.”
“It’s time someone in Government had the courage to do something to deal with this problem. The most interesting thing about the hotel story, which hasn’t been reported unless I missed it, is that there are tenders running until 2036, which tells you that this Government has absolutely no intention of stopping illegal immigration.”
Ministers and officials are “neglecting” the day-to-day management of asylum seeker accommodation providers as the cost of 10-year contracts triples from £4.5bn to £15.3bn, the Home Affairs Select Committee has said.
Companies made “excessive” profits at the expense of taxpayers, according to the scathing report.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has admitted “mistakes were made” at the Home Office under the previous government.
Asked whether the Conservatives should accept some responsibility following the Home Affairs Committee’s findings, he said: “Yes, yes.
“So one of the first things I did when I became leader was to admit that mistakes were made, but we had an answer to that, and that was the Rwanda plan.”
More than 32,000 migrants live in around 210 hotels at a budgeted cost of £2.1 billion per year, or £145 per migrant per night.
MPs have pressed the Home Office to prioritize the closure of hotels with “significant social cohesion problems”, as well as hotels in remote areas that could put the most pressure on local services.
They also said there were “too many” cases of poor quality housing, including overcrowding, damp, mold and fire safety concerns, despite billions of pounds spent on housing.
Ministers must set out a clear strategy on how to reduce the use of asylum hotels and have a chance of ending the “current failing, chaotic and expensive” system that wastes taxpayers’ money, the Home Affairs Committee has warned.
Expected costs of Home Office accommodation contracts for 2019-2029 have tripled from £4.5bn to £15.3bn following a “dramatic rise” in demand in the wake of the pandemic and a rising number of small boat arrivals, among factors.
The report said: “The Home Office undoubtedly operates in an extremely challenging environment, but its chaotic response showed that it was not prepared for the challenge.”
The government has pledged to end accommodation for asylum seekers in hotels by 2029 amid mounting pressure over rising costs and outcry in local communities.
But the committee warned in its report that the promise to seek public input without a clear plan for alternative accommodation risked “under-delivery and thus further undermining public confidence”.
“The break clause in 2026 and the expiration of contracts in 2029 represent opportunities to draw a line under the current failing, chaotic and expensive system and move to a more effective and value-for-money model,” he added.
Defending Labour’s record on the refugee housing crisis, Prime Minister Keir Starmer claimed the Home Office was trying to evacuate hotels as quickly as possible.
He said: “We have inherited a huge mess in relation to almost all departments of government, and this includes the Home Office.
“If you take the issue of asylum hotels for example, under the previous government we had years where they were not processing claims, so tens of thousands of people had their claims not processed.
“They were then put into hotels. This was the policy of the last government; at the peak there were 400, now there are around 200. I am determined to close these hotels.
“So we’re taking action. But I can’t tell you how disappointed and angry I am that we were left with such a huge mess by the last government.”
