Britain has received a record number of asylum applications, official data showed on Thursday (August 21, 2025), as the government faces growing pressure over the housing of thousands of migrants in hotels.

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A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the U.K. in the year to June 2025, according to figures released by the interior ministry, called the Home Office.

That was the highest for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

Immigration is a thorny issue in Britain, where Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer is struggling to fend off the hard-right Reform UK party led by anti-immigrant firebrand Nigel Farage.

The upstarts are piling pressure on Labour over accommodating asylum seekers in hotels, a practice that hit peak levels under the previous centre-right Conservative party.

The Home Office data showed that 32,059 migrants were staying in hotels at the end of June, an 8% increase on the same month last year, just before Mr. Starmer became Prime Minister.

But it was well below the high of 56,042, recorded at the end of September 2023.

Mr. Starmer is facing heat over his failure to stop irregular migrants crossing the Channel to England on rudimentary small boats.

More than 50,000 people have made the dangerous journey since he became UK leader in July 2024.

Thursday’s data showed that irregular arrivals soared 27% over the previous year, with 88% of those coming by small boats.