Alert – Ministers are accused of having ‘no credible plan’ to end the use of migrant hotels by MPs who say the government faces a ‘huge challenge’ in clearing the asylum backlog

Ministers have ‘no credible plan’ to end the use of migrant hotels and face a ‘huge challenge’ in clearing the asylum backlog, MPs have warned.

The Commons’ Public Accounts Committee urged the Government to set out a full timetable for reducing the number of asylum hotels – and set a deadline for closing them altogether. Their report slammed the ‘unacceptable’ £8million-a-day bill being footed by the taxpayer.

It comes days after immigration minister Robert Jenrick unveiled plans to close the first 50 properties by the end of January. The Mail revealed earlier this week how luxury, country house-style hotels will be the first to see migrants removed.

The report said. ‘No credible plan exists to end the use of hotels to accommodate people waiting for a decision, at a cost of £2.3billion in 2022-23.’ It said the Home Office must ‘set out how and by when it intends to reduce use of hotels, and when it intends to stop using hotels altogether’.

The report, published today, also raised concerns over a new policy of requiring migrants to share rooms, suggesting there could be ‘serious consequences’ arising from ‘vulnerable people having to share accommodation with strangers’.

Latest data shows there were 175,000 asylum seekers, including dependants, awaiting a decision in August – up from less than 57,000 three years earlier.

Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, the committee chairman, said the backlog is leaving people ‘in limbo’, but the ‘compromises being made by the Home Office to meet its commitments are alarming’.

The Home Office last night said it has ‘taken immediate action to speed up asylum processing whilst maintaining the integrity of the system’.