Ministers have pledged to end hotel use in this parliament, but 32,000 asylum seekers are still housed there.

Cooper stated that, while initial decisions on asylum applications had been expedited, there had been “unacceptable delays” when those who were denied decided to appeal. Currently, it takes just over a year on average to hear an appeal, and 51,000 cases are pending decision.

During this time, failed asylum seekers are accommodated at taxpayer expense. So a new panel of independent adjudicators will be appointed to handle appeals, with ministers expecting it to act faster than the courts.

The government has promised to provide more information about how it will expedite cases in the autumn.

The Conservatives have claimed that the system is in disarray, while Reform UK has advocated for the mass deportation of those who arrive via illegal or irregular means.

Over the last week, there has been increasing dissatisfaction with the housing arrangements for asylum seekers.

Demonstrators gathered on Saturday in England’s Bristol, Liverpool, and London, as well as Mould in Wales, Perth in Scotland, and County Antrim in northern Ireland.

Police intervened to keep opposing groups apart in numerous locations where anti-racism activists staged counter-demonstrations.

In Bristol, a 37-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, while Liverpool saw 11 arrests.

Since July, thousands of people have protested outside the Bell Hotel in Epping after a resident asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

On Tuesday, the High Court granted the council a temporary injunction to prevent asylum seekers from being housed in the Bell Hotel, arguing that the hotel violated local planning controls by changing its use, resulting in events that posed a public safety risk.

Those currently in residence must be moved out by 16:00 on 12 September.

The government is seeking the right to appeal against the High Court ruling.

Cooper said the government was committed to closing all asylum hotels but that it needed to happen in “a properly managed way”.

Following the ruling, several other councils are reportedly considering legal action, including Tory-controlled Hillingdon, which currently houses 2,238 asylum seekers.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch issued an open letter urging Conservative council leaders “to take the same steps if your legal advice supports it,” while Reform UK’s Nigel Farage stated in the Telegraph that councils controlled by his party would do “everything in their power” to follow Epping’s lead.

According to figures released by the Home Office earlier this week, 131 of the UK’s more than 300 local authorities are currently housing asylum seekers in “contingency accommodation,” which primarily consists of hotels.

Of the 131 areas, 74 are led entirely or partially by Labour, 30 by the Liberal Democrats, 19 by the Conservatives, nine by the Green Party, and one by Reform UK.

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