Yvette Cooper will prevent judges from hearing appeals from rejected asylum seekers and will introduce a new system of professional adjudicators to hear those cases. The proposals aim to process tens of thousands of outstanding claims more quickly and were accelerated after a legal ruling requiring the rehousing of 138 asylum seekers from the Bell hotel in Epping. Councils are bringing similar legal cases, increasing pressure on ministers to find alternatives to hotel accommodation. Protests and demonstrations have occurred across multiple towns, and the government says the overhaul will make the appeals system swift, fair, independent, and cost-effective.
The home secretary will set up a new system of professional adjudicators to hear cases brought by people who have had their asylum claims turned down as the government looks for ways to process tens of thousands of cases. The proposals, which were first reported by the Sunday Times, have been worked on for months but are being accelerated in the wake of a legal ruling that will force the government to rehouse 138 asylum seekers from the Bell hotel in Epping within days.
We are determined to substantially reduce the number of people in the asylum system as part of our plan to end asylum hotels But we cannot carry on with these completely unacceptable delays in appeals as a result of the system we have inherited which means that failed asylum seekers stay in the system for years on end at huge cost to the taxpayer.
This weekend, there has been another spate of protests outside hotels in towns and cities across the country after weeks of demonstrations outside the Bell, which began after an asylum seeker living there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Rallies were held this weekend in places including Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle, Wakefield and Aberdeen, and at least 15 people were arrested. The Guardian revealed on Friday that the far-right Homeland party had been trying to organise several demonstrations.
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