![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/fact-checking-claims-about-asylum-seekers/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/130700261_barge-2-pa-nc.png&description=Image source, PA Media Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick and Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper were interviewed separately on the BBC's Today programme about government plans to tackle illegal migration. They made claims about housing asylum seekers in hotels and barges as well as about the Rwanda scheme. Ms Cooper said there was a "10,000 increase in the number of people in hotels since Rishi Sunak promised to end hotel use six months ago". It was on 13 December 2022 (almost eight months ago) that Mr Sunak said the government "must end" using hotels to house asylum seekers but did not set a date for when this is expected to happen. It is true that the number of asylum seekers staying in UK hotels has increased since December, but not by 10,000. At the end of December 2022, there were 45,775 asylum seekers inUK hotels according to government figures. By the end of June 2023 - the latest available data - this had risen to 50,546. This is an increase of 4,771 staying in hotels - half the number claimed by Ms Cooper. The BBC has contacted the Labour Party to ask which figures she was referring to. Robert Jenrick defended the government's use of the Bibby Stockholm barge to house asylum seekers. He said: "Barges like this are used in Belgium, in the Netherlands, the Scottish government have used a similar vessel for Ukrainian refugees". The countries Mr Jenrick mentions have all used vessels of varying types to accommodate asylum seekers. In 2016, authorities in the city of Ghent in Belgium used a converted boat called The Reno as a temporary reception facility for asylum seekers . It accommodated 250 asylum seekers but closed in March 2017. The Netherlands has used the MS Silja Europa for about 900 asylum seekers. It has a capacity of 3,000 and is one of the biggest passenger ferries in the world. There are currently 1,500 people staying on MS Galaxy in Amsterdam. Scotland used cruise ships to house Ukrainian refugees. One ship was docked in Glasgow and housed 1,20){kind=link}
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick and Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper were interviewed separately on the BBC’s Today programme about government plans to tackle illegal migration.
They made claims about housing asylum seekers in hotels and barges as well as about the Rwanda scheme.
Are they right?
Ms Cooper said there was a “10,000 increase in the number of people in hotels since Rishi Sunak promised to end hotel use six months ago”.
It was on 13 December 2022 (almost eight months ago) that Mr Sunak said the government “must end” using hotels to house asylum seekers but did not set a date for when this is expected to happen.