UK Plans Fast-Track Appeals Amid Asylum Protests

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Protests have continued across the United Kingdom over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, as the Government announced plans to introduce a fast-track appeals system aimed at speeding up the removal of individuals with no legal right to remain in the country.

Demonstrations were reported outside the Castle Bromwich Holiday Inn in Birmingham and the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf, London, where police officers and security teams maintained a visible presence. Some protesters displayed St George’s Cross flags and banners calling for priority housing for British citizens.

Saturday’s protests resulted in at least 15 arrests, and gatherings continued on Sunday, drawing attention to ongoing public opposition to the use of hotels for asylum accommodation.

According to official figures released earlier this month, 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, marking the highest level since current records began in 2001. At the same time, the backlog of individuals awaiting an initial decision dropped to 90,812, while 32,059 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels.

The Government’s proposed reforms aim to address lengthy delays in the asylum appeals process, with approximately 51,000 appeals currently awaiting resolution, often taking more than a year to conclude. The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the changes would create a system that is “swift, fair and independent, with high standards in place.”

“We inherited an asylum system in complete chaos, with a soaring backlog of cases and a broken appeals process leaving thousands in limbo for years,” she stated. “Already, since the election, we have reduced the backlog of initial decisions by 24% and increased failed asylum returns by 30%. But we cannot continue with these delays, which place a huge cost on the taxpayer.”

The new process would involve independent adjudicators handling appeals rather than judges, a measure intended to relieve court pressures and reduce reliance on hotel accommodation. The Government has reiterated its commitment to ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers, while the opposition Labour Party has pledged to phase out such facilities by 2029.