Minister’s Asylum Hotel Claims Disputed by Fact Checkers

Labour Minister Accused of Making False Claims on Asylum Hotel Reductions

Independent fact-checking organization Full Fact has challenged claims made by Wales Office Minister Anna McMorrin regarding the UK government’s progress on reducing asylum accommodation in hotels.

The organization’s report directly contradicts McMorrin’s assertion in the House of Commons last month that Labour had “halved” or “nearly halved” the use of asylum hotels since taking office in July 2024.

According to Full Fact’s investigation, the number of asylum hotels in use when Labour formed government stood at 213, decreasing only marginally to 210 by July 2025 – a reduction of just three facilities during Labour’s first year in power. More concerning for the government, the report indicates that the number of asylum seekers housed in hotel accommodation actually increased by 8% between the end of June 2024 and June 2025.

The fact-checkers, who describe themselves as “independent fact checkers, journalists, technologists and policy experts,” have written to McMorrin asking her to correct the record in Parliament, in line with the Ministerial Code which requires ministers to correct “any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity.”

In response to the allegations, a Wales Office spokesperson told Nation.Cymru that “Minister McMorrin was reflecting in Parliament the fact that their use has, in the past year, halved from the peak.” The statement emphasized that asylum hotels have decreased from “over 400” in summer 2023 to “fewer than 200” currently in use.

This explanation attempts to reframe McMorrin’s claim by measuring progress against the peak number of hotels under the previous Conservative government rather than from Labour’s time in office. The spokesperson also highlighted that the daily cost of hotels had fallen from £8.3 million per day in 2023/24 to £5.77 million in 2024/25.

The controversy touches on a politically sensitive issue for the Labour government, which made addressing asylum accommodation a key campaign promise. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration has repeatedly pledged to end the use of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament.

The government maintains it has made significant progress on the asylum system since taking office, claiming to have reduced the asylum backlog and returned more than 35,000 people with “no right to be here.” They also noted that asylum seekers in hotels fell by almost 6,000 (15%) in the first three months of 2025 compared to December 2024.

However, Full Fact’s report suggests the government’s communication about its progress may be misleading. The organization noted that precise data on asylum hotels isn’t routinely published, with the Home Office recently stating it doesn’t provide a “running commentary” on these numbers.

The discrepancy highlights ongoing challenges in the UK’s asylum system, which has faced significant strain in recent years due to increased migration across the English Channel and processing backlogs. The use of hotels as temporary accommodation has been controversial due to both humanitarian concerns and the substantial costs to taxpayers.

As pressure mounts on McMorrin to address the alleged misrepresentation, the incident serves as a reminder of the scrutiny facing the Labour government as it attempts to deliver on key immigration promises after 14 years in opposition.