Overview
- The Home Office data released this week showed 225 claimants from EU countries and the United States plus about 20 from other high‑income states were living in taxpayer-funded asylum accommodation at the end of March.
- The department says only around 3% of asylum claims from those countries were granted in the last year and most are rejected or withdrawn.
- Under current law the Home Office must provide accommodation to anyone judged 'destitute', with weekly support set at about £49.19 for self-catering stays and £9.95 for full‑board hotels.
- Ministers and Conservative MPs have criticised the cases as misuse of public funds while the Home Office points to varying removal rates by nationality, legal challenges and judicial reviews that can delay removals.
- The government also notes it has cut asylum hotel use by about 35% and reduced overall asylum support costs by roughly 15% in the last year, and officials are reportedly considering making some support discretionary.