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A top Labour MP has said she is confident asylum hotels in Scotland will close after a damning report into the “chaotic” system . Joani Reid said the “disastrous” Tory policy had let down taxpayers after a committee of MPs found billions of pounds had been “ squandered ”. She also branded the hotels “minging” and said they had fuelled support for the far Right and damaged community relations . Asylum seekers were housed in hotels by the previous Tory Government from 2019, a practice continued by Keir Starmer’s administration. But waves of protests have taken place outside the hotels, including in Falkirk and Perth, and Labour is committed to ending their use by 2029. Reid, a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee that issued its damning report yesterday, said: “The report lays bare the extent to which the previous Tory Government left behind an unmitigated disaster and a catastrophe for the incoming Labour Government. It failed on almost every measure.” The MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven added: “It’s been a disaster for community relations and tensions. It has also fuelled support for the far Right.” “The policy has let down British taxpayers, the asylum seekers themselves and communities. It was the Tories’ biggest policy failure in their fourteen years in government.” Reid said the 2029 target of closing asylum hotels can be met: “I am sure we can meet that target and it would be a great bonus if they were closed before then, but I think what is really important is that it’s not a knee jerk reaction to public outcry.” She said of asylum seekers not being allowed to work: “You have hundreds of men who are unable to work, who have got nothing to do other than hang about the streets. Particularly for women, it can be intimidating and it is so visible within communities.” But she also insisted the hotels are “anything but” five star establishments: “I have seen them. They are minging. You’ve got three, four, five plus men in one room with absolutely no privacy. “And meanwhile you’ve got people whose streets aren’t being cleaned, whose bins aren’t being emptied, who have got mould in their flats and think inside these hotels are a cushty life and you wonder why there are community tensions. “It is just the most inappropriate place for young men who are more often than not traumatised.” Around 32,000 asylum seekers, around a third of the total number, are currently accommodated in 210 hotels across the UK. But around three quarters of the cost of asylum accommodation is spent on hotels. The Home Affairs Committee report urged the Government to set out a clear strategy for tackling the “failed, chaotic and expensive” system. But the MPs warned that the Home Office had failed to share a long-term strategy for housing asylum seekers and had cut corners in its response to pressures. According to the MPs, the Home Office had "squandered" billions of pounds of public money on asylum accommodation more generally. The MPs said estimated costs had tripled to more than £15bn and not enough had been done to recoup excess profits. The report said: “The Home Office has undoubtedly been operating in an extremely challenging environment but its chaotic response has demonstrated that it has not been up to the challenge. “The 2026 break clause and end of the contracts in 2029 represent opportunities to draw a line under the current failed, chaotic and expensive system and move to a model that is more effective and offers value for money.” The committee said the Home Office’s failure to engage with communities had led to missed opportunities to address local concerns. The report added: “The lack of engagement and transparency has left space for misinformation and mistrust to grow, which in too many areas has led to tensions and undermined the ability of local partners to promote social cohesion.” MPs also claimed the Government’s approach had led to an uneven distribution of asylum accommodation around the country. The Record revealed that Glasgow continues to house over 90% of all asylum seekers north of the border, with the figure standing at zero for some local authority areas. Another issue flagged up in the report was that the excess profits from asylum accommodation providers had to be reclaimed by the Home Office. The committee said the money should be used on public services rather than “sitting in the bank accounts of private businesses”. MPs said they had heard about “too many cases” where asylum accommodation was inadequate and safeguarding concerns about vulnerable people had not been addressed. A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Government is furious about the number of illegal migrants in this country and in hotels. “That is why we will close every single asylum hotel – saving the taxpayer billions of pounds. “We have already taken action – closing hotels, slashing asylum costs by nearly £1 billion and exploring the use of military bases and disused properties.” To sign up to the Daily R ecord Politics newsletter, click here
