LONDON, Aug 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Britain has received a record number of 
asylum applications, official data showed Thursday, as the government faces 
growing pressure over the housing of thousands of migrants in hotels.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 
2025, according to figures released by the interior ministry, called the Home 
Office.

That was the highest for any 12-month period since current records began in 
2001.

Immigration is a thorny issue in Britain, where Labour Prime Minister Keir 
Starmer is struggling to fend off the hard-right Reform UK party led by anti-
immigrant firebrand Nigel Farage.

The upstarts are piling pressure on Labour over accommodating asylum seekers 
in hotels, a practice that hit peak levels under the previous centre-right 
Conservative party.

The Home Office data showed that 32,059 migrants were staying in hotels at 
the end of June, an eight percent increase on the same month last year, just 
before Starmer became prime minister.

But it was well below the high of 56,042, recorded at the end of September 
2023.

Starmer is facing heat over his failure to stop irregular migrants crossing 
the Channel to England on rudimentary small boats.

More than 50,000 people have made the dangerous journey since he became UK 
leader in July 2024.

Thursday's data showed that irregular arrivals soared 27 percent on the 
previous year, with 88 percent of those coming by small boats.