“The Conservatives have broken our asylum system and continue to waste taxpayers’ money on hotels and keep people in limbo because they’ve failed to take responsibility and get a grip of the situation.

“Returning the Novotel to public use will be welcome news to many, but it doesn’t change the fact that Tom Hunt and the Conservatives have consistently broken their promises and still do not have a plan to clear the backlog. Their obsession with headline-grabbing gimmicks, which then fail to deliver, has given criminal gangs a licence to operate, undermining border security and putting lives at risk.

“Labour has pledged to end all asylum hotel use by clearing the asylum backlog, with more caseworkers and a new Returns Unit – saving the taxpayer £2 billion – as well as relentlessly targeting criminal smuggling gangs and backing a new cross-border police unit.

“After years of chaos under the Conservatives, Labour will restore security, competency and fairness to our asylum system.”