London eases deportation of migrants after wave of protests VIDEO

The British government will introduce a new fast-track asylum appeals process to step up deportations of migrants who do not have the right to stay in the UK. This was announced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, quoted by "PA Media", DPA and BTA.

Against this backdrop, protests against the accommodation of migrants in hotels were held in various British cities.

Cooper said that "completely unacceptable" delays in court decisions are leaving people with rejected asylum applications in the country for years. There are currently around 51,000 applications pending, with the average decision taking more than a year.

To ease the pressure on the accommodation system, a new independent body with professionally trained adjudicators will be set up to deal with applications in a fast-track procedure. A 24-week time limit will be introduced for the first-instance tribunals to decide on applications from asylum seekers receiving accommodation support, as well as those of immigrants convicted of crimes.

The government will set out details of the full reform later this year.

"We have inherited a system in complete disarray - with a huge backlog of applications and a broken appeals process that has left thousands of people in limbo for years," said Cooper. She stressed that the new reform would ensure a system that was "fast, fair and independent".

According to official figures published earlier this month, 111,084 asylum applications were lodged in Britain in the twelve months to June 2025. This is the highest number since 2001.

At the end of June, 32,059 asylum seekers were accommodated in hotels. The ruling Labour Party has promised to end the practice by 2029.

On Saturday, protests against the accommodation of migrants in hotels and counter-protests were held in a number of British cities. In Bristol, mounted police were deployed to separate protesters from counter-protesters, while in Liverpool, 11 people were arrested for assault, drunkenness and disorderly conduct.

In Horley, Surrey, around 200 anti-immigration protesters clashed with around 50 Stand Up to Racism activists.

Earlier yesterday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage unveiled a plan to deport migrants who crossed the Channel illegally if his party forms the next British government.