Government to hit back over migration anger as anti-asylum protests continue across Britain

Ms Cooper will highlight reforms made by the Government to the border security and asylum system as MPs return to Westminster for the first time since July.

Her comments will come after a weekend where anti-asylum protests continued across the country, seeing people arrested in Essex and London.

She is set to say on Monday that the Government’s overhaul of the “broken” asylum system will contribute to ending the use of asylum hotels, an issue which has led to widespread protests over the summer.

The Home Secretary will also set out planned changes to the refugee family reunion process to give “greater fairness and balance”.

She is expected to tighten the rules for migrants who have been granted asylum bringing their families to the UK.

Read more: Police officer 'punched' and child 'may have been pepper-sprayed' at anti-asylum march in London

And she will claim that the Government’s promise to “smash the gangs” behind English Channel crossings are showing results in stopping people arriving in the first place.

Despite Labour’s efforts, the Government has faced almost constant criticism for its handling of illegal migration, with the recent reopening of the Bell Hotel in Epping stoking further anger.

Ms Cooper will say the National Crime Agency (NCA) led 347 disruptions of immigration crime networks in 2024/25 – the highest level on record and a 40% increase on the previous 12 months.

That included 56 of the highest-impact disruptions, while NCA-backed efforts in Europe have squeezed the supply of boats and engines destined for the French coast, with 45 dinghies seized in operations at the Bulgarian border in July and August.

According to the Government, this contributed to the lowest number of boats crossing the Channel in the month of August since 2019, with 55 making the crossing

The 3,567 arrivals in August was the lowest since 2021, but the 29,003 across the whole of 2025 so far is the highest on record for this point in a year.

Ms Cooper will insist the Government is “putting much stronger foundations in place so we can fix the chaos we inherited and end costly asylum hotels”.

She will say: “That means ensuring we have the powers we need to pursue the criminal smuggling gangs profiting from small boat crossings that other parties have voted against, but also new firm rules in place to manage the asylum system so we can close hotels.”

Taking aim at Reform UK, which last week pledged to deport 600,000 people, she will say: “These are complex challenges and they require sustainable and workable solutions, not fantasy promises which can’t be delivered.”

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp dismissed Ms Cooper’s intervention as a “desperate distraction tactic”.

He said: “The simple fact is this year so far has been the worst in history with 29,000 illegal immigrants crossing the channel.”

Mr Philp added: “Labour’s first year in office also saw the number of illegal immigrants in asylum hotels go up, despite having fallen by half in the nine months before the election.

“Labour’s first year also saw the highest number of asylum claims in history.”

He said the Government had “lost control” and was “engulfed in a fully fledged borders crisis”.

On Sunday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson hit out at Reform’s leadership as she insisted Labour will “bring down” the number of asylum hotels in the UK before the next election.

Ms Phillipson told LBC: “It's the Conservatives who left us with this terrible mess…Reform are just stoking anger.

“We are determined to bring down the use of asylum hotels and close them

“That's why we took the decision to challenge the Epping decision.

“People in this country have the right to safe and legal protest.”

Reform UK has come under fire in recent days for its hardline stance on immigration, including from senior figures in the Church of England.

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said the Reform UK leader, who has promised mass deportations, was not offering a solution to the “big issues” driving people to risk the English Channel crossing.