Keir Starmer's Asylum Seeker Woes Just Keep Getting Worse

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with customers as he visits Barclays bank in Brighton, England, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025.Fresh problems within the asylum system will spell further trouble for the Labour government this week.Ongoing concerns over immigration have already helped to fuel Keir Starmer’s political opponents, like Reform UK, over the last 15 months – and recent events just handed them another win.Labour has been trying to come down much harder on the whole immigration system, but a few rather unflattering new stories mean the government’s approach is looking rather thin on the ground – to put it mildly.Here’s what you need to know.Fresh asylum accommodation falloutOvernight, a brutal report from MPs on the Home Affairs Committee accused the Home Office of squandering billions of taxpayers’ pounds on mismanagement of asylum accommodation.The cross-party group blamed flawed contract design and incompetent delivery from the Home Office for leaving the government unable to manage with the increased demand for accommodation.They noted how hotels went from a temporary stop-gap to the expensive go-to solution – as the cost of is set to rise from £4.5 billion in 2019 to £15.3 billion in 2029.Tory MP and committee chair Karen Bradley said it was time for “urgent action” and accused the government department of not creating a long-term strategy to deliver on asylum accommodation.“The Home Office has presided over a failing asylum accommodation system that has cost taxpayers billions of pounds,” she said.“Its response to increasing demand has been rushed and chaotic, and the department has neglected the day-to-day management of these contracts.“The government needs to get a grip on the asylum accommodation system in order to bring costs down and hold providers to account for poor performance.”She continued: “While reducing hotel use is rightly a government priority, there will always be a need for flexibility within the system, and the Home Office risks boxing itself in by making undeliverable promises to appeal to popular sentiment. It shouldn’t set itself up for more failure.”Housing secretary Steve Reed told on Sky News the government was still looking at using disused military bases to house asylum seekers – and that costs are already going down.But the Sunday Express claimed at the weekend that the use of asylum hotels could be expected to rise, with up to 92% of councils potentially housing asylum seekers.Billions are wasted on asylum hotels amid 'failed, chaotic and expensive' Home Office system, say MPs.@SteveReedMP runs through the government's actions, including looking at disused military bases instead of hotels to house asylum seekers.https://t.co/CTe3uEiNpfpic.twitter.com/rMRkX8mcmu— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 27, 2025Accidental release of a convicted sex offenderThe Sun reported on Friday that asylum seeker Hadush Kebatu had been accidentally released from prison in a further blow to the government.It was a jaw-dropping revelation, considering Kebatu was jailed for 12 months in September for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. He was meant to be sent to an immigration detention centre last week when he was set free instead.He was arrested on Sunday after just 48 hours, but the whole incident speaks to wider issues within the British criminal justice system – and will fuel further attacks on the government’s incompetency.It’s thought Kebatu may be deported tomorrow. Justice secretary and deputy prime minister David Lammy is set to announce an independent inquiry into what happened later today in the Cmmons – and likely to face intense attacks from the opposition benches while he does so...Migrant removed via France deal returned... on a small boatLast week, it was revealed by the Guardian that, just weeks after being removed to France, a migrant had returned to British shores on a small boat.The man claimed to have been a victim of modern slavery at the hands of smuggling gangs in France.The Home Office did not directly confirm the report but said a migrant had been detained and their removal was underway.Even so, this puts the effectiveness of the government’s new one-in, one-out scheme with France in doubt.The scheme already faced some setbacks earlier this year, and failed to deport anyone over the first two months of the scheme.More than 36,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since the start of 2025 – at least 8,000 more than on the same date in 2024 – even though Starmer has repeatedly pledged to “smash” the people-smuggling gangs and cut the number of crossings by 2029.What does this all mean for Labour?Reed told Sky News on Monday morning that the government is working to “fix the problems we inherited” from their Conservative predecessors.His words are in contrast to those from his colleague, health secretary Wes Streeting, who admitted there was a “prevailing sense of despair” from the public towards the way the country is being run over the weekend.When pressed about the rising frustration, Reed said: “People want to feel change, not just hear about change.”But, as HuffPost UK revealed on Saturday, an increasing numbers of senior figures now believe Starmer’s time as prime minister is running out – and these repeated slip-ups on immigration are unlikely to be doing his reputation any favours.Related...BBC Question Time Audience Laugh At Nadine Dorries As She Struggles To Explain Reform Immigration PlanExclusive: Labour Anger Erupts Over Party's Response To Katie Lam Immigration Row'A Breach Of Human Decency': James O'Brien Savages Tory Frontbencher's Immigration Comments

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