UK PM orders end to taxi bills for asylum seekers as BBC findings prompt urgent review

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the use of taxis to move asylum seekers from hotels to appointments must stop and that he wants to see hotels emptied as quickly as possible. He pressed ministers to accelerate plans to end the hotel program and explore faster options for alternative housing.

A BBC investigation into conditions inside asylum hotels found some migrants took long taxi journeys at substantial cost, including a 250-mile trip to a general practitioner that cost about £600. The report also highlighted other travel arrangements that appear to rely on taxi transfers rather than public transport. Asylum seekers housed in hotels are issued a bus pass for one return journey per week; taxis are used for other necessary travel, such as doctor visits, and are booked on an automated system that does not present public transport or walking options, potentially producing unusually long or short journeys. The BBC said the Home Office previously told it that it did not keep figures on taxi travel costs.

The Home Office said it has ordered an urgent review into the use and cost of taxi transfers. In a broader aim, the government has pledged to end the use of asylum hotels by 2029, with ministers acknowledging the BBC’s findings underscored the need to move faster and to consider all options for alternative housing, including military sites. About 32,000 asylum seekers are currently housed in hotels across the United Kingdom, down from a peak of about 51,000 in 2023.

In the BBC’s follow-up reporting, residents described cramped living conditions and other safety concerns inside some hotels. Smoke alarms were reportedly covered with plastic bags, and residents used electric hobs in showers to cook. The BBC said a return visit found staff going door to door to search for makeshift cooking equipment, including one case where a resident said security and welfare staff announced, “we are smelling your cooking … we want to search.” A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity questioned staff authority and emphasized that residents are human beings.

A spokesman for Clearsprings Ready Homes — one of the contractors responsible for managing the hotels — declined to provide details of actions taken following the investigation and referred questions to the Home Office. Two other contractors, Mears and Serco, did not comment. The Home Office cited its Wednesday statement announcing that the home secretary had ordered an urgent review into the use and cost of taxi transfers. During the BBC’s return visit, some residents said they had been warned against speaking to journalists or sharing details of their living conditions; security personnel asked the reporter to leave, stating the site was private property. The reporter was told access to hotels had been granted at the invitation of migrants but was subsequently advised to leave.

The BBC’s coverage follows earlier reporting that sparked protests outside asylum hotels and a series of legal challenges, such as the attempt by Epping Forest District Council to stop The Bell Hotel in Essex from housing asylum seekers after a sexual assault involving a 14-year-old girl. Protests and counter-protests occurred in several cities, contributing to a political debate over how and where asylum seekers are housed. While the government has stressed the need to move toward a more rapid reduction of hotel reliance, ministers have signaled that the path remains politically and logistically complex as they pursue alternatives.

As the number of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen from its 2023 peak, officials have emphasized that any transition must balance safety, welfare, and cost considerations. The government has faced persistent scrutiny over the use of taxi transfers and the broader conditions inside asylum hotels, with officials reiterating that reforms will be pursued as part of a wider plan to end hotel use by 2029.