Sir Keir Starmer is set to implement a radical overhaul of the asylum appeal system in a desperate bid to deport illegal entrants faster and end the taxpayer burden on migrant hotels.
Under new plans, Labour will establish a commission of professional adjudicators to replace existing asylum tribunal courts.
Ministers will unveil the reforms within weeks, requiring new legislation when Parliament reconvenes next month.
The overhaul comes in response to mounting pressure over taxpayer-funded accommodation, which currently exceeds £5.4billion annually across more than 200 hotels in Britain.
Home Office officials believe the new statutory body will dramatically reduce processing times for appeals, which presently average over twelve months, allowing faster removal of rejected applicants from hotel accommodation.
The proposed commission will receive statutory authority to prioritise cases involving asylum seekers in Government-funded accommodation and foreign criminals facing deportation orders.
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Under the plans, processing times for appeals will be dramatically reduced
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Ministers express concern that certain first-tier tribunal judges are excessively applying the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly Article 8 regarding family life, when reversing asylum refusals.
The independent commission would eventually supersede these first-tier courts entirely under the Government’s proposals.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated on Saturday: “We are determined to substantially reduce the number of people in the asylum system as part of our plan to end asylum hotels.”
She added: “Overhauling the appeals system so that it is swift, fair and independent, with high standards in place, is a central part of our plan for change.”
The reforms will necessitate primary legislation, with ministers considering whether to modify the border security bill or introduce new legislation.
The asylum appeals system faces severe congestion, with 51,000 cases awaiting decisions at first-tier tribunals, compared to just 7,173 at the beginning of 2022.
Yvette Cooper said the Government is ‘determined to substantially reduce the number of people in the asylum system’
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Home Office sources confirm appeals now require an average of 53 weeks for resolution, with some extending over multiple years and representing the principal driver behind the accommodation crisis, as appellants await hearings in hotel facilities.
Government figures show 32,059 asylum seekers residing in hotels as of June, marking an 8 per cent increase since Labour assumed power.
The accommodation budget reached £5.4billion in the previous financial year alone.
Ministers attempted to address delays by securing additional funding for legal representation and establishing a 24-week deadline for appeal hearings, but officials now believe more fundamental changes are essential.
Protests have erupted across the UK this summer in response to migrant hotels
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GB NEWSThe Refugee Council is set to present proposals this week, urging ministers to grant temporary residence permits to asylum seekers highly likely to receive approval, mirroring the Ukrainian refugee programme.
Chief Executive Enver Solomon argued: “The answer to failed asylum hotels is not failed asylum camps. It’s time for a more pragmatic approach if the broken asylum system is going to be fixed.”
The charity maintains that this approach would eliminate substantial numbers from the backlog, reduce taxpayer costs and ease community tensions.
Looking for other alternatives to hotels, the Government is also understood to be exploring purchases of student accommodation, former office buildings and additional housing stock.
