UK: The United Kingdom government has announced plans for a major overhaul of the asylum appeals system as part of efforts to cut the number of migrants being housed in hotels while awaiting decisions on their cases.
Under the proposals, a new independent body staffed by adjudicators will be created to handle asylum appeals more swiftly than the current court process. The Home Office said the move is intended to address lengthy delays that have left thousands of applicants in limbo.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the current situation as unacceptable, noting that while initial asylum decisions have been accelerated, appeals remain a significant bottleneck.
On average, it currently takes just over a year for an appeal to be heard, with more than 51,000 cases pending. During this period, failed applicants continue to be accommodated at public expense.
The government has been under growing pressure to end its reliance on hotels, where around 32,000 asylum seekers are currently housed. Ministers have pledged to close all asylum hotels during this parliament, but progress has been slow.
We promised to stop the use of asylum hotels – and we will.
However, if we fail to do this in an ordered way, we risk losing control of the system and having to open additional hotels.
That is why the government will appeal The High Court’s decision on the Bell Hotel in Epping. pic.twitter.com/Y5x9RfamfQ
— Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) August 22, 2025
Protests over the policy have intensified. On Saturday, demonstrations took place in cities including Bristol, Liverpool and London, as well as in towns such as Mold, Perth and County Antrim.
Counter-demonstrations were staged by anti-racism campaigners, and police intervened to keep opposing groups apart. A woman was arrested in Bristol on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, while 11 arrests were made in Liverpool.
The use of hotels has also sparked legal disputes. In Epping, protests have continued since July after a resident asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Earlier this week, the High Court granted the local council a temporary injunction preventing further asylum seekers from being housed in the Bell Hotel, ruling that its use breached planning laws and created a public safety risk. Those currently accommodated there must leave by 12 September at 16:00.
The government is preparing to appeal the ruling, but several other councils, including Conservative-run Hillingdon, are considering similar legal action. According to Home Office figures released this week, 131 of the UK’s more than 300 local authorities are currently accommodating asylum seekers in contingency accommodation, mainly hotels. Of these, 74 are Labour-led, 30 Liberal Democrat, 19 Conservative, nine Green and one Reform UK.
The government has promised further details in the autumn on how the new appeals system will be implemented and how the backlog will be reduced.
