Police stood guard outside the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf today as the Government unveiled a shake-up of the asylum appeals system. The aim? To speed up the removal of people with no right to remain in the UK.
Protests Spark Outside Hotel
Officers lined the entrance, backed by security and full-length barriers blocking access. Across the road, around 20 protesters gathered peacefully, some wrapped in Union Jacks and St George’s Crosses.
One woman waved a banner reading: “Tower Hamlets council house homeless Brits first”, while another held a sign saying: “Enough is enough protect our women and girls.”
Nearby, another protest erupted outside the Castle Bromwich Holiday Inn, also used for asylum accommodation. These protests come after a UK-wide wave of demonstrations on Saturday that ended with at least 15 arrests.
Fast-Track Appeals: Government’s Bold Move
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a fast-track appeals process to tackle the huge backlog of asylum cases. Instead of judges, independent adjudicators will now handle appeals to slash waiting times.
Currently, some 51,000 asylum appeals are pending— with decisions dragging on for over a year on average. Cooper insisted the new system would be “swift, fair and independent, with high standards in place.”
Asylum Applications Hit Record High
Official figures reveal a staggering 111,084 asylum applications in the year to June 2025 — the highest since records began in 2001. At June’s end, 90,812 people awaited initial decisions, while more than 32,000 asylum seekers remained housed in hotels.
The Government boasts it has cut the backlog of initial decisions by 24% since the last election and boosted failed returns by 30%, but lengthy appeals are still strangling the system.
Political Battle Over Hotel Use
Labour promises to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers by 2029. Meanwhile, today’s protests highlight rising community frustration over the prolonged use of hotels as accommodation sites.
