UK Asylum Applications Hit Record High

The number of asylum applications in the United Kingdom has reached its highest level on record, according to official data released on Thursday by the Home Office.

Between June 2024 and June 2025, a total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in Britain, the highest 12-month figure since records began in 2001.

The surge comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor government, in power since July 2024, faces growing backlash from local officials and residents opposed to housing tens of thousands of asylum seekers in hotels.

By the end of June 2025, about 32,059 asylum seekers were accommodated in hotels across the UK. 

This marks an eight percent rise compared to the previous year, though it is slightly lower than in March and significantly below the peak of 56,042 recorded in September 2023, under the former Conservative government.

The issue has also reached the courts. On Tuesday, the High Court ordered the Bell Hotel in Epping, north of London, to temporarily stop housing around 100 asylum seekers following a wave of anti-immigration protests since July. The court set a deadline of 12 September for the hotel to be vacated.

Political tensions around migration continue to escalate. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said on Thursday that her party would back local councils taking legal action to shut down hotels accommodating asylum seekers. Meanwhile, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage urged Britons on Wednesday to stage peaceful protests outside hotels used for migrant housing.