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Labour’s failure to tackle illegal immigration has been exposed as official figures showed just 6% of Channel boat arrivals were deported last year. While the Government celebrated a small drop in the number of migrants in hotels, opposition parties accused them of “not having the backbone” to properly control Britain’s borders.

Only 2,550 small boat arrivals were deported last year, the Home Office revealed. This is up marginally from 2,324 in 2024. And the Government was told it was “not on target” to close every migrant hotel by the next general election. More asylum seekers are now living in houses, flats and bedsits across the country, the figures showed, as ministers scramble to close almost 200 venues by 2029.

But tens of thousands of new arrivals, a spiralling appeals backlog and a lack of alternative accommodation could leave Labour’s flagship pledge to close migrant hotels by 2029 in tatters.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Labour are moving illegal immigrants from asylum hotels to residential housing. There are far fewer checks and safeguards in dispersal accommodation which allows illegal immigrants to work illegally, commit more crime, and disappear into your community.

“Keir Starmer has the highest number of Channel crossings of any prime minister on record.

“Labour have only removed 6% of small boat arrivals, Labour do not have the backbone to tackle the illegal immigration crisis. Shabana Mahmood has no control of our border, and things are getting worse.”

Some 30,657 migrants are living in hotels, the Home Office figures showed.

This is still higher than when Labour took office in July 2024. But it has fallen from 36,273 in September.

However, critics said Labour is “moving illegal immigrants from asylum hotels to residential housing”.

Some 68,538 are living in dispersal accommodation, up from 66,232 three months ago.

Labour wants to use more former military bases for asylum accommodation and convert former hospitals, student digs and office blocks into homes for migrants.

And they could pay councils to buy up homes across the country, which would then be leased out to asylum accommodation providers. Once the asylum crisis is over, they would form part of the housing stock.

Dr Peter Walsh, senior researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said: “Refused applications will inevitably lead to tens of thousands more appeals, adding significant pressure to the already very stretched tribunals system.

“Hotel accommodation is unpopular all round: it is expensive for the UK taxpayer and not suitable for long-term living.

“However, the Government has struggled to expand capacity in other types of accommodations, such as disused military sites or dispersed houses of multiple occupancy.

“It is also struggling to reduce the number of people in the asylum system, because asylum applications remain unusually high and because of the appeals backlog.”

Asked if Labour would hit its target of closing every migrant hotel by 2029, Dr Madeleine Sumption added: “The Government is not on track to achieve this goal.

“To reach it, something significant would have to change.

“This would mean either much faster processing of asylum appeals, sourcing some other sort of accommodation at scale or a significant fall in the number of people claiming asylum.”

Shadow Home Office minister Katie Lam told the Daily Express: “After a series of protests outside asylum hotels last summer, the Government has moved to get people out of hotels, and into so-called ‘dispersal accommodation’.

“By their very nature, we know very little about these people. What we do know is that, far too often, they pose a direct risk to the public, particularly to women and girls.

“And in dispersal accommodation, there are even fewer safeguards and checks than in the asylum hotels. Illegal migrants will be able to work illegally, roam the streets, and disappear out into the country, creating even more risk for all of us.

“Instead of pushing these asylum seekers out into our streets, the Government should be removing them from the country altogether.

“Any law which stops us from carrying out that basic duty must be changed.

“This is the very least that the British public deserves. They’ve never voted to lose control of our borders, or to invite unvetted illegal migrants onto their streets. Time and time again, whenever they’ve been asked, they’ve told politicians to get control of this issue. This Labour Government is letting them down.”

Some 100,625 people claimed asylum in 2025, which is down from 104,764 in 2024.

A record number of people sought sanctuary after arriving on a work visa.

The Home Office revealed 13,557 applied for support after arriving in the UK on a work visa, up from the previous high of 13,427.

More than 6,600 of these were made by Bangladeshis and Pakistani citizens.

Some 39,095 people applied for asylum after arriving on a study, work or visitor visa.

Of this group of claimants, 12,578 held a study visa, 13,557 arrived on a work visa, 7,521 used a visitor visa and 5,439 held other forms of leave.

One in 10 asylum seekers was from Pakistan, with 10,638 in total. Most sought protection after arriving on a visa.

They were followed by Eritreans (8,948) and Iranians (7,419).

Eritreans, Afghans, Iranians, Sudanese and Somalis accounted for almost three-fifths of all small boat arrivals.

And Express analysis of Home Office asylum figures shows the number of claims from a number of African countries have hit record highs.

The number of claims from Sudanese (5,869) and Eritreans (8,948) has increased 10-fold over the past 16 years, while claims from Ethiopians have rocketed from 104 in 2010 to 2,096 in 2025.

Reform’s Zia Yusuf said: “The number of illegal migrants per boat has reached a new record: 62 per boat, up 50% in three years.

“The latest immigration figures show the invasion of the United Kingdom continues apace. Small boat arrivals up 13% and new records are made for arrivals from countries like Somalia, as more learn how easy it is to penetrate Britain’s borders illegally.”

Ms Mahmood has vowed to overhaul the asylum appeals system, effectively abolishing the lower tribunal.

Migrants would have to file a single appeal, and it would be considered by a “professionally trained adjudicator”.

Minister for border security and asylum, Alex Norris, said: “Today’s figures show that we are making progress to restore the asylum and immigration system – but more must be done to stop people crossing the Channel illegally.

“Removals of illegal migrants who arrived on a small boat have increased, and nearly 60,000 people with no right to be here have been removed or deported under this government.

“That includes removals of foreign national offenders going up by 32% and enforced returns up by 45%.

“But our sweeping reforms will take us further. That includes replacing the broken appeals system as well as crack down on the incentives drawing illegal migrants to our country in the first place.”