Security minister refuses multiple times to outline alternative to asylum hotels

Labour is in turmoil after more councils consider launching legal challenges over the government’s use of asylum hotels. Security minister Dan Jarvis repeatedly failed to outline an alternative to asylum hotels, when he appeared on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday (20 August). “It won't be hotels because of the commitment that we've made, and therefore it will have to be a range of other, more appropriate accommodation,” said Mr Jarvis. Epping Forest District Council won a temporary High Court injunction on Tuesday, preventing asylum seekers from being housed at an Essex hotel, citing it had become a "feeding ground for unrest" after violent protests. Labour had promised it would end the use of hotels for asylum seekers by 2029, replacing them with government housing and tackling small boat crossings.