Oral Answers to Questions

Neil Shastri-Hurst Excerpts

Monday 9th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) (Con)]

1. How many asylum seekers were accommodated in hotels on (a) 30 September 2025 and (b) 30 June 2024.

[Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst (Solihull West and Shirley) (Con)]

9. How many asylum seekers were accommodated in hotels on (a) 30 September 2025 and (b) 30 June 2024.

[The Minister for Border Security and Asylum (Alex Norris)]

We were elected on a commitment to close all asylum hotels, and that is what we will do. In June 2024, there were 29,561 asylum seekers in hotels, which later peaked at 38,054 in the following December, thanks to the awful legacy of the Conservatives. As we started to grip the crisis in asylum accommodation, those numbers had reduced to 36,273 by September 2025. The next release of statistics is coming at the end of this month, and I have absolutely no doubt that the number will have fallen significantly even further.

--- Later in debate ---

[Dr Shastri-Hurst]

A number of my constituents have written to me requesting details on the future of the George hotel, which is one of the asylum hotels in Solihull town centre. Given the statistics that the Minister has just provided, can he provide some clarity to my constituents on when the George hotel will close?

[Alex Norris]

I have seen previous contributions that the hon. Gentleman has made; I know that it is exceptionally important to his community that that hotel is closed, and it will be. I will not give a running commentary in the Chamber on when each individual asylum hotel will be closed, but my message to Solihull—and to any community that has an asylum hotel—is that these hotels were opened by the Conservatives, and they will be closed by Labour.