Thank you to everyone who has contacted me about safe asylum accommodation.
I am proud that Lewisham – and the country more widely – has always stepped up with humanity and compassion to welcome people fleeing war, hunger and persecution. Asylum seekers should be treated with dignity and have safe, secure and suitable accommodation while their claim is considered.
I support the Government’s efforts to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers as soon as is feasible. We must restore order to the immigration system, so that it is swift, firm and fair. Ministers are now working to speed up the processing of asylum claims, so that those who are genuine refugees can be accepted and can move on to rebuild their lives here in safety, and those who are not can have their claims rejected before being removed. I welcome that, as of September 2025, the amount of people awaiting an initial decision was 36% less than a year prior, meaning that fewer people are left waiting for an outcome.
The Home Office works to ensure the needs and vulnerabilities of people in asylum accommodation are identified and considered, including those needs related to mental health and trauma. It will use every tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence.
The Government recognises that people new to the UK may have questions and uncertainties about the asylum process, and so it issues information outlining the process and the claimant’s responsibilities within it. New and existing asylum seekers are also able to contact in their own language the asylum helpline run by Migrant Help. This provides information about the asylum process including asylum support and adapting to life in the UK. Migrant Help services are also available face-to-face in initial accommodation.
As part of its commitment to end the use of all asylum hotels and reduce costs for taxpayers, the Home Office is working with other departments and councils to develop a more sustainable model of accommodation which seeks to reduce competition for affordable housing and help deliver new supply. Already, it is undertaking reforms to the asylum accommodation estate, including pilot schemes to repurpose derelict buildings and to develop other community-led alternatives to the use of hotels.
Any system in which tens of thousands of people are living in hotels, waiting for a letter about their future, is a broken one. The system works neither for the British people nor the individuals who are reliant on it for sanctuary and safety. I know that the Government will continue to work to fix the chronic problems in the asylum system.