Evictions of migrants from asylum hotels are due to start this spring, with the Government preparing to remove accommodation and financial support from certain asylum seekers. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to end the automatic legal duty to house and provide weekly allowances to destitute asylum seekers.

The changes will enable ministers to withdraw support from several specific groups: individuals who can support themselves financially but choose not to; those who already possess the right to work; those who commit crimes or work illegally; and anyone who refuses a formal direction to leave the UK. The measures are designed to accelerate the closure of asylum hotels throughout 2026, with further sites expected to shut down by April.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood (Image: Getty)

The Government has pledged to end the use of hotels for asylum accommodation entirely by 2029 and says it has already reduced the number in use from around 400 to approximately 200 since taking office, reported Sky News.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC on Sunday: “I want us to close hotels. I think over coming months you’ll see evidence of that.”

Home Office figures published in November showed 36,273 people were living in temporary hotel accommodation in September 2025 while awaiting decisions on their asylum claims—a 13% increase from June.

The policy shift comes amid continued public concern over asylum housing, including large-scale protests in Epping, Essex, last summer following the placement of an Ethiopian sex offender at a local hotel.

To replace hotels, the Government plans to move asylum seekers into former military barracks, houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)—which are large, shared private rental properties—and a new council housing pilot scheme. Ministers are also preparing to resume removals to Syria, which is now considered a safer destination following the 2024 revolution that ended the Assad regime.

Further steps include expanding the existing ‘one-in, one-out’ returns arrangement with France and negotiating a similar deal with Germany.

The changes form part of a wider push to cut the cost of the asylum system and reduce the backlog, as the issue remains politically sensitive following record-high small boat arrivals in 2025.