Fact checkers accuse minister of making false claims about asylum hotels

Martin Shipton

A fact-checking organisation has accused Wales Office minister Anna McMorrin of making false claims about the use of hotels for asylum seekers.

Full Fact, which is composed of independent fact checkers, journalists, technologists and policy experts, has written a report stating that the Cardiff North MP’s assertion that in the past year Labour has halved the use of asylum hotels is incorrect.

The report from Full Fact states: “The number of asylum hotels in use was 213 when Labour formed a government in July 2024 and had decreased to 210 in July 2025. The number of asylum seekers in hotel accommodation increased in that period.

“In the House of Commons last month, parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Wales Office, Anna McMorrin MP, said Labour had ‘halved’ or “‘nearly halved’ the use of asylum hotels since entering government.

“But this isn’t right. The number of asylum hotels in use has not halved since July 2024—it decreased by three in Labour’s first year in government. Nor has it halved the number of asylum seekers in them. This has actually increased since Labour came to power.

“The number of asylum hotels in use peaked at ‘over 400 in summer 2023’, under the previous Conservative government, and had fallen to 213 in July 2024, when Labour won the general election. A year later, in July 2025, 210 asylum hotels were in use—a net decrease of three under Labour.

“Ms McMorrin’s claim is similar to others we’ve heard from Labour politicians in recent months.

“The government does not routinely publish information on the number of hotels being used as contingency accommodation for asylum seekers, and has recently said it doesn’t provide a ‘running commentary’ on these numbers, so precise figures on hotels in use at specific points in time are not always available.

“Home Office data also shows the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels increased by 8% between the end of June 2024 (just before Labour formed a government) and the end of June 2025.

“Our Government Tracker has more information about the number of asylum seekers in hotel accommodation, and we’re monitoring Labour’s progress towards its commitment to ending the use of asylum hotels.

“Ministers should correct false or misleading claims made in Parliament as soon as possible in keeping with the Ministerial Code which states that they should correct ‘any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity’’ We’ve written to Ms McMorrin asking her to correct the record, and will update this article if we receive a response.”

‘In the past’

A spokesperson for the Wales Office told Nation.Cymru: “The current UK Government position on the use of hotels to accommodate asylum seekers is below. Minister McMorrin was reflecting in Parliament the fact that their use has, in the past year, halved from the peak.

“Since taking office, we have taken immediate action to fix the asylum system by reducing the asylum backlog, closing down hotels and returning more than 35,000 people with no right to be here.

“From over 400 asylum hotels open in summer 2023, costing almost £9m a day, there are now fewer than 200 in use, and we will close them all by the end of this Parliament.

“At their peak under the previous government, less than two years ago, there were almost 400 asylum hotels open at a cost of £9m per day to the taxpayer. There are now fewer than 200 in use with more expected to close.

“Asylum seekers in hotels fell by almost 6,000 in the first three months of 2025 – down 15% from December.

“The cost of hotels was £5.77m per day in 2024/25, down from £8.3m per day in 2023/24.”