Cumbrian hotel will no longer house asylum seekers, Copeland MP 'pleased' to support

A hotel in Cumbria will stop housing asylum seekers by January, the Immigration Minister has announced.

The number of hotels used to house migrants in the UK will be cut by 50 over the next three months.

Trudy Harrison, MP for Copeland, has welcomed the decision which will see The Waverley Hotel in Whitehaven among the first tranche of hotels which will stop housing asylum seekers by the end of January 2024.

Robert Jenrick MP said the "exits" would begin in the coming days and confirmed that dedicated resources were being put in place to facilitate the "orderly and effective" management of the process, limiting the impact on local communities, during a statement to the House on Tuesday 24 October.

He said the plans are possible because of “the progress we’ve made to stop the boats.”

Speaking to ITV Border, the Home Office said it is not yet known where asylum seekers will be relocated to but they are working with accommodation providers and local authorities.

Members of the Labour Party said the announcement demonstrates the Government’s “utter lack of ambition” as the number amounts to a “paltry” 12% of total usage.

Mrs Harrison said: “Further to the announcement today from minister Robert Jenrick I am pleased that there has been a successful outcome and that the Waverley Hotel will no longer be used to house asylum seekers.

“I would now very much like to see the Waverley Hotel being used as a hotel to assist in the mission of ensuring that Whitehaven becomes a tourist destination of choice and that we encourage the millions of visitors that come to the Lake District to travel to the town and other areas of my constituency to enjoy and celebrate all that we have to offer.”

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