Police stood guard outside the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf today as the Government announced plans to overhaul the asylum appeals system in a bid to speed up the removal of people with no right to remain in the UK.
Protest at Hotel Entrance
Officers were stationed at the entrance of the hotel, alongside security guards positioned behind full-length barriers blocking the entryway.
Across the road, around 20 protesters gathered quietly, some draped in Union Jacks and St George’s Crosses. One woman carried a handmade banner declaring: “Tower Hamlets council house homeless Brits first”, while another read: “Enough is enough protect our women and girls.”
Meanwhile, a separate protest was held outside the Castle Bromwich Holiday Inn in Birmingham, another site used for asylum accommodation.
The demonstrations followed a wave of protests across the UK on Saturday, which led to at least 15 arrests.
Government’s New Appeals Plan
The scenes came as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper set out plans for a fast-track appeals process, designed to cut through the huge backlog of asylum cases.
Under the reforms, asylum appeals would be heard by independent adjudicators rather than judges, in an attempt to reduce waiting times.
Currently, there are around 51,000 asylum appeals pending, with cases taking an average of more than a year to reach a decision.
The Home Secretary said the new process would deliver a system that is “swift, fair and independent, with high standards in place.”
Record Asylum Applications
Official figures show asylum applications reached a record 111,084 in the year to June 2025 – the highest since records began in 2001.
At the end of June, 90,812 people were still waiting for an initial decision, and more than 32,000 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels.
The Government said it has already reduced the backlog of initial decisions by 24% since the election and increased failed asylum returns by 30%, but that lengthy appeals remain a major bottleneck.
Political Divide
Labour has pledged to end the use of hotels for asylum accommodation by 2029, while critics argue today’s hotel protests show growing frustration within communities over the prolonged use of such sites.
