Sir Keir Starmer said he “completely” gets peoples’ concerns about migration, and insisted he wanted to speed up efforts to empty asylum hotels before the next election.
The Government has committed to empty all hotels currently housing migrants by the end of the Parliament, which could be as late as 2029, but the Prime Minister suggested he wanted to “bring that forward”.
Sir Keir spoke to the BBC about his desire to grip the small boats crisis, as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to unveil reforms to the border security and asylum system on Parliament’s first day back from its summer break.
Discontent with how the Government has managed the small boats crisis and housed migrants in hotels has led to a wave of protests over the summer, and criticism from Labour’s political opponents.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Matt Chorley, the Prime Minister said he understood the concerns about migration, describing them as a “really serious issue”.
“We have to have control of our borders, and I completely get it, and I’m determined that whether it’s people crossing in the first place, whether it’s people in asylum hotels, or whether it’s returning people, we absolutely have to deal with this.
“When it comes to the asylum hotels, I want them emptied. I’ve been really clear about that. I completely understand why people are so concerned about it.”
Asked to commit to a date to empty asylum hotels, Sir Keir replied: “Well, we’ve said we’ll get rid of them by the end of the Parliament. I would like to bring that forward, I think it is a good challenge. I want to bring that forward.”
The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex became the focal point of several demonstrations and counter-protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker housed there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month. He has denied the charges.
Asked if he would be comfortable with his daughter having to walk past an asylum hotel, Sir Keir insisted again he “completely” understands the concerns of residents, adding: “Local people by and large do not want these hotels in their towns, in their place, nor do I. I’m completely at one with them on that.”
Nigel Farage and his party Reform UK “feed on grievance” about migration, the Prime Minister also said, adding “they’ve got no reason to exist” if the problem is solved.
In the Commons, Ms Cooper is expected to say the Government’s overhaul of the “broken” asylum system will contribute to ending the use of asylum hotels.
She will also set out planned changes to the refugee family reunion process, reportedly by tightening rules for migrants granted asylum to bring their families to the UK.
The Home Secretary will say that increased efforts to “smash the gangs” behind the English Channel crossings are showing results in stopping people arriving in the first place.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Labour “do not have the stomach” to take stronger action on immigration control when asked about the plans.
Speaking to reporters during a visit on Monday, the Conservative Party leader said: “Well, what I would actually like to see the Home Secretary talk about is how she’s going to close down the asylum hotels.
“What they have done with their recent court case is actually shown that they believe that illegal migrants have more rights than our local communities, and we completely disagree with that.
“We had a deportation Bill, which we asked Labour to support, we talked about disapplying the Human Rights Act so you wouldn’t even get to some of the circumstances that she’s talking about.
“There’s a lot more that can be done on immigration control. Labour do not have the stomach to do it. We do, and we have the plans as well.”
Downing Street insisted ministers have no plans to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which informs UK human rights law, in order to tackle migration.
Right-leaning think tank Policy Exchange on Monday sought to dispel the argument that leaving ECHR would not jeopardise peace in Northern Ireland, where it underpins the Good Friday Agreement.
Also on Monday, the Court of Appeal will hand down its full written judgment in the Bell Hotel case.
The Government and the hotel’s owner last week succeeded in overturning an interim injunction which would have required asylum seekers to be removed from the site.
Epping Forest District Council, which applied for the injunction, is considering taking the case to the Supreme Court.
Protests continued in Epping on Sunday and police arrested three people.
About 200 demonstrators gathered outside the council building on Sunday, where a woman climbed the steps and unfurled a Union flag.
