Britain’s Labour government has announced sweeping reforms to its asylum system after months of public anger over illegal migration and the costly housing of asylum seekers in hotels at taxpayers’ expense. The increase in small boat crossings from France has left the system overstretched, while communities have increasingly protested against hotels being converted into migrant accommodation. Against this backdrop, ministers say the changes are designed to restore order at the border, deter dangerous crossings, and reduce the financial burden on the public purse.

In a Commons statement on Monday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed a new returns treaty with France that allows direct removals of small-boat arrivals, with the first detentions already made and returns expected this month. She paired that with a system overhaul built on a new independent appeals body operating to a 24-week statutory timetable, an extra 1,000 detention and returns beds at Campsfield and Haslar, a temporary suspension of the dedicated refugee family reunion route ahead of a new framework, and tougher Border Security Bill powers. She said 35,000 people with no right to be in the UK were removed in the last year, the National Crime Agency recorded 347 disruptions of smuggling networks, and the hotel bill fell by almost a billion pounds.

The political context around this statement from Labour matters. Reform UK’s 14.3% vote share and five seats in the 2024 general election turned it into a durable pressure group on immigration to Labour’s right. That breakthrough also saw the party secure runner-up status in nearly 100 constituencies, positioning it as the main challenger to Labour in many working-class and coastal areas in the south of England, where illegal migration by small boats from France is a defining concern.

Recent YouGov polling underscores that sentiment. Forty-five percent of voters backed a stricter stance of admitting no more new migrants and requiring large numbers who arrived illegally in recent years to leave, with the figure surging to 86% among Reform voters and drawing support from significant minorities across Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters as well. This shows why Labour can no longer afford to leave the political space on immigration uncontested.

Fury over the use of hotels to house migrants at taxpayers' expense has amplified that pressure. The Bell Hotel in Epping became the national flashpoint after the Home Office continued to accommodate about 138 asylum seekers there despite the opposition of Epping Forest District Council and many residents. The council secured a High Court injunction to stop the use and require removals by mid-September, but the Court of Appeal set it aside on 29 August, allowing the site to remain in use while a full hearing proceeds. Protests surged after an Ethiopian asylum seeker living at the Bell Hotel was charged in July with three counts of sexual assault and related offences. He denies the allegations and the trial is ongoing. In a separate case, a Syrian resident of the hotel was later charged with sexual assault and multiple counts of assault.

Labour’s reforms appear to come only after sustained public pressure and the fear of losing political ground. But success will be judged on visible results, not promises. If crossings continue and hotels remain full, the public will see little difference, and Reform could continue to build support at Labour’s expense.