Labour slammed as 'comfort of migrants put over safety of women'

The “comfort of migrants” is being placed above women’s safety, a leading campaigner has warned, following new Home Office figures showing a sharp rise in asylum seekers housed in hotels.

By June 2025, 32,059 asylum seekers were living in UK hotels—an 8% increase compared to 2024—while asylum claims surged 14% to a record 111,084 in the year to June. At the same time, small boat deportations dropped by 7%, down to 2,330.

Jess Gill, a 22-year-old politics student and founder of the Women’s Safety Institute (WSI), criticised Labour for prioritising migrants’ wellbeing over women’s protection. She argued that money spent on asylum support could instead be directed toward services like domestic violence programs.

“When you look at the benefits being given to illegal migrants compared to the lack of funding for women’s safety, it’s clear where priorities lie,” Gill said. “The situation is getting worse, not better.”

Polling commissioned by WSI found that nearly 40% of Britons support restricting immigration from countries with poor records on women’s rights, while almost 90% back deporting foreign sex offenders. Almost half of respondents (47%) believed immigration impacts women’s safety in their local area.

Gill added: “We need to deport migrants—legal or illegal—who commit sex crimes. Many come from cultures where women are treated as objects, and that clearly plays a role in the problems we face.”

Research earlier this year by the Centre for Migration Control suggested foreign nationals are more than three times as likely as UK citizens to be arrested for sexual offences. Police data showed over 9,000 foreign nationals were arrested for such crimes in just 10 months last year—26.1% of the total across England and Wales.

Gill founded the WSI in April 2025 after a series of tragedies near her hometown of Bolton, including grooming gang scandals and the killing of Emily Jones by an Albanian woman. Now based in London, she says harassment has become part of everyday life, from unwanted staring to being followed in the street.

Since its launch, the WSI has grown to more than 700 members and attracted over 51,000 social media followers. The group hosts meetings with councillors, organises events for victims, and campaigns for tougher measures to protect women.

A Government spokesperson responded: “Any foreign national who commits sexual offences will be deported as soon as possible. Under our new Border Security Bill, their asylum claims will also be rejected. We’ve already removed nearly 5,200 foreign offenders this year—a 14% increase—and we will continue to take firm action. The safety of women and girls, and the security of communities, remains our top priority.”