Reform’s Zia Yusuf has issued a stark warning to Brits in light of the Home Office’s new figures on migration. The data released on Thursday shows that the number of asylum seekers staying in hotels rose by 8% to 32,059 during Sir Keir Starmer’s first year in power following a surge in Channel crossings. However, Mr Yusuf has condemned “soft touch Britain”, warning that the crisis will not improve under a Labour government.
“The situation is dire and not only is it not improving, it is getting worse,” he told the Express. “Ultimately, British people, they are generous, they are warmhearted, they’re welcoming but they’ve had enough now. Britain is full. We have no infrastructure to cope. People are being soaked in taxes to pay for all of these people to basically live a life of leisure at taxpayer expense.”
The number of people claiming asylum in the UK reached a record 111,084 in the year to June 2025. And small boat deportations are down by 7% to 2,330 in the 12-month period.
The number is up 14% from 97,107 in the year to June 2024, according to data published by the Home Office. The previous record for a 12-month period was 109,343 in the year to March 2025.
Nigel Farage’s head of DOGE UK continued: “Britain’s a soft touch! Why are so many people coming from France? In some cases of risking their lives to come from France which is a safe country, a country to which millions of British people go on holiday?
“As soon as they get to come here they get a complementary ferry service from the British border force, they get picked up, taken to a free hotel, free meals, free healthcare, free trips to the circus, free strips to the Safari Park.
“Do a bit of work legally if you want to, but basically you get your entire life paid for you.”
Mr Yusuf warns that the only way to reduce the soaring migration figures is by “taking away all of these incentives” and to “leave the ECHR” which he believes “will never happen under this government”.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “We inherited a broken immigration and asylum system that the previous Government left in chaos.
“Since coming to office we have strengthened Britain’s visa and immigration controls, cut asylum costs and sharply increased enforcement and returns, as today’s figures show.
“The action we have taken in the last 12 months – increasing returns of failed asylum seekers by over 30%, cutting asylum costs by 11%, reducing the backlog by 18% and our forthcoming plans to overhaul the failing asylum appeal system – are crucial steps to restoring order, and putting an end to the chaotic use of asylum hotels that we inherited from the previous government.
“At the same time, we are bringing legal migration back under control, with a 48% reduction in work visas this year – and further stronger visa controls and higher skill requirements introduced through our White Paper expected to bring those overall numbers down further.
“As we roll out further reforms, including the new pilot with France, new counter terror powers to strengthen border security, and new asylum reforms later this year (including reforms to speed up the persistent delays in the appeals system), we will continue to take the serious steps required to restore order, control and fairness to the system and to continue building the foundations of a new and stronger approach.”