Sir Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper are rolling out a new process for fast-tracking asylum appeals and tackling the spiralling backlog of cases in the system.
The prime minister and home secretary hit out at “completely unacceptable” delays in the appeals process, which have left some failed asylum seekers in the system for years.
Ms Cooper on Sunday said the asylum system was left “in complete chaos” by the Conservatives, promising “practical steps” to bring it under control.
The announcement comes as Labour is under mounting pressure to restore order to the asylum system, with the weekend dominated by protests outside hotels housing migrants.
The Independent looks at what the new asylum appeals process is and whether it will help the government in its mission to end the use of asylum hotels.
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What is changing?
The government is establishing a new independent body to deal with asylum appeals, made up of professional adjudicators.
It will replace the role of judges in hearing asylum appeals and will give adjudicators the power to prioritise the cases of those in asylum accommodation and foreign national offenders.
The government is also setting a 24-week time limit for the first-tier tribunal to decide on asylum appeals by those in asylum accommodation and foreign national offenders.
Why is it needed?
There are around 51,000 asylum appeals waiting to be heard by the first-tier tribunal, with an average waiting time of more than a year.
The government has said that court delays over appeals are now the biggest cause of pressure in the asylum system, costing taxpayers billions of pounds each year.
While the government has reduced the number of asylum seekers waiting for initial decisions, the number of failed asylum seekers awaiting the outcome of appeals has shot up.
Perhaps more importantly, migrant hotels have become a flashpoint in communities in recent weeks, with the weekend seeing a series of protests across the UK.
The issue is becoming politically toxic for Sir Keir, with Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch calling for asylum hotels to be shut immediately.
Will it save Labour?
Speeding up the decision-making process for asylum appeals could have a huge impact on the number of migrants being housed in the UK.
The Home Office has worked on the changes with the Ministry of Justice, with both departments accepting that the current chaos in the justice system is spilling over into the asylum process and lengthening the delays.
However, around half of appeals against asylum refusals were successful last year, so increasing the rate at which decisions are made could also lead to Labour being seen to grant more people asylum.
Asylum hotels have become politically toxic because of their visibility. Any move that means fewer asylum hotels are required by the Home Office will ease anger in communities that have had one imposed upon them.
If the plans work in bringing down the backlog of appeals and restoring order to the system, they will go a long way to restoring trust in the government among voters.
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In truth, many of those protesting against the use of asylum hotels are never going to vote for Sir Keir regardless, with many likely to back Mr Farage’s Reform UK.
But, as evidenced by the case of the Bell Hotel in Epping, the PM will struggle to regain the agenda and set out what his government is doing as long as it is dominated by anger and protests at hotels housing asylum seekers.