UK suspends refugee family reunion applications as Government vows to close all migrant hotels 'for good'

Ms Cooper announced the changes during a statement in the Commons setting out the government's next steps to reform the asylum system in the UK.

She claimed that Labour inherited an asylum system "in chaos" when they won power last year, and insisted that "substantial reforms are needed now".

It comes four weeks after the UK-France Returns Agreement came into effect, with the first asylum seekers expected to return to France later this month, the government confirmed.

Under the reforms, the government plans to pause applications for refugees attempting to bring their families to the UK, with new legislation around the refugee family reunion route expected this week.

She told MPs: "The current rules for family reunion for refugees were designed many years ago to help families separated by war, conflict and persecution."

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"But the way they are now being used has changed," she insisted on Monday.

"Even just before the pandemic, refugees who applied to bring family to the UK did so on average more than one or two years after they had been granted protection, long enough for them to be able to get jobs or find housing, or be able to provide their family with some support.

"In Denmark and Switzerland, those granted humanitarian protection are not able to apply to bring family for at least two years after protection has been granted.

"But here in the UK now, however, those applications come in on average in around a month after protection has been granted."

The Home Secretary used her speech to list Labour's achievements on migration, including a 14% increase in removals of foreign criminals, and cutting the annual asylum hotel bill by almost £1bn.

She added that the first returns of immigrants under the deal with France will begin "later this month," while hinting at the government's plans for the near future.

"We will shortly set out more radical reforms to modernise the asylum system and to boost our border security," she said.

"The heart of these reforms will be a complete overhaul of the appeals system."

Ms Cooper announced the creation of a new independent body to "deal with immigration and asylum appeals", which will be able to "surge capacity as needed."

She added that the government will seek to "reform the way the ECHR is interpreted here at home".

Earlier this month, Ms Cooper unveiled plans to introduce a fast-track scheme to tackle the asylum backlog, with the government aiming to turn around decisions within weeks.

She said the clearing the backlog will be "crucial" to closing all asylum hotels "for good," but that the government will try to do this in a "controlled and orderly manner".

Speaking on Monday, Ms Cooper revealed that the Government will use “legal and controlled support” to help people fleeing persecution.

She told the Commons: “We will continue to do our bit to support Ukraine, extending the Ukraine permission extension scheme by a further 24 months, with further details to be set out in due course.

“We’re also taking immediate action to rescue children who have been seriously injured in a horrendous onslaught on civilians in Gaza so they can get the health treatment they need.

“I can confirm that the Home Office has put in place systems to issue expedited visas with biometric checks conducted prior to arrival for children and their immediate accompanying family members.

“And we have done the same for all the Chevening scholars and are in the process of doing so now for the next group of students from Gaza who have been awarded fully funded scholarships and places at UK universities so they can start their studies in autumn this year.

“And later this year, we will set out plans to establish a permanent framework for refugee students to come study in the UK, so we can help more talented young people fleeing war and persecution to find a better future alongside capped and managed ways for refugees to work here in the UK.”

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.

The Government faces pressure to cut how many asylum seekers are housed in hotels while awaiting the outcome of a claim or appeal.

The Home Secretary has previously said she was eager to put a fast-track system for decisions and appeals in place so that people from countries considered safe would not sit in the asylum system for a long time.

Her comments come after a summer that saw the return of anti-migration protests across the country, seeing people arrested in Essex and London.

The protests, which are often led and attended by members of far-right groups, have seen dozens descend on hotels they suspect of housing asylum seekers.

They have turned violent on a number of occasions amid fears of rising division and a deterioration of social cohesion across communities, spurred on by anti-immigrant rhetoric.

On Saturday, Yvette Cooper unveiled plans to create a new offence under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which is already going through Parliament.

The move could widen the Bill's scope in a bid to tackle illegal entry to the UK - the latest crackdown attempt by the government.

The offence would also outlaw the promise of illegal working being promoted online and could carry a large fine.

But John Vine, the former chief inspector of borders, told LBC it appeared to be more about optics than real deterrence.

He told Ben Kentish: "They've decided to put an amendment to the bill to make this a specific offence. But actually, in their own press release, they include two examples of police investigations where existing laws have been used.

"One case involved a gang in operating in South Wales, another instance in Preston where somebody ended up with 17 years in prison using existing laws.

"So I think what they're trying to do is a little bit of overkill in terms of lawmaking, perhaps in order to show activity in dealing with something that they know people are very, very concerned about at the moment".

It comes as the Government grapples with a record number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel.

On Wednesday, arrivals passed more than 25,000 for the year so far, a record for this point in the year.

Tensions over asylum hotels have flared up in recent weeks, with a protest and counter-protest taking place on Saturday outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in north London, and also in Newcastle.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament.

Asylum seekers and their families are housed in temporary accommodation if they are waiting for the outcome of a claim or an appeal and have been assessed as not being able to support themselves independently.

They are housed in hotels if there is not enough space in accommodation provided by local authorities or other organisations.