Labour vows 'big surge' in asylum hotel closures

The Home Office has promised a "big surge" in closing asylum seeker hotels in the new year, with five more to close this year, as pressure grows over the government's record.

- Aletha Adu

Speaking after a weekend of protests and counter-protests over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, Angela Eagle, the border and security minister, said Labour had inherited a "border security system in tatters" and accused opposition parties of offering "the fag packet plans without the substance on delivery".

Nigel Farage will today outline proposals for a sweeping deportation programme, including the mass removal of asylum seekers arriving in small boats, the detention of new arrivals at military bases, and the rapid expansion of flights to Rwanda and other countries willing to take asylum seekers.

His plans also include withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights and replacing the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights prioritising citizens' rights.

The Reform UK leader's intervention comes after a Times poll by YouGov found that 71% of voters believe Keir Starmer is handling the asylum seeker hotel crisis poorly, including a majority of Labour supporters.

The findings have intensified pressure on ministers to demonstrate visible progress before a winter in which the use of hotels remains one of the most politically fraught aspects of the small boats crisis.

Eagle said Reform's plans were unworkable and accused the Conservatives of leaving behind a broken system. "This government inherited chaos in the asylum system and a border security system in tatters," she told the Guardian.